LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

BTsCH 

Sheli'P3(o 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



THE 

Judgment of Jerusalem. 

Predicted in Scripture and Fulfilled in 
History. 

By WILLIAM PATTON, D.D. 

i2mo. Illustrated. $1.50. 



"We do not exaggerate in the least in saying that the account of the 
Siege and Capture of the City is better and more vividly told than in 
any book generally accessible. The Views and Plans are unusually 
good, and enable the reader, young or old, to form a clear and accurate 
idea of the Holy City." — Literary Churchman. 

" Surely, every minister and Sunday-school teacher should have this 
book. We wish the attention of our young people could be called away 
from the great quantity of trivial reading, which is being circulated, to 
works of importance and instruction, like the one before us." — Morning 
Star. 

" The wonderful events narrated in this book are given in a terse and 
vigorous style, and we regard it as one of the best accounts of the siege 
and destruction of Jerusalem we ever read" — The Standard. 

" This volume is one of surpassing interest to the student of Holy 
Scripture. Attention has been of necessity directed to some of its sub- 
jects by the course of the International Lessons. It is replete with the 
information which thousands need." — Norther7i Christian Advocate. 

" We do not hesitate to say that this little volume contains the most 
interesting and valuable account extant of the destruction of Jerusalem, 
and its precedent causes, so far as our information extends." — Journal 
and Courier. 



ROBERT CARTER & BROTHERS, 
New York. 






Jesus of Nazareth 



WHO WAS HE? 



WHAT IS HE NOW? 



1 These are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is 
THE CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD; 
and that believing ye might have life through 
His name." — John xx. 31. 



BY THE 

Rev. WILLIAM PATTON, D.D. 






\ "* ' . • 



NEW YORK: 
ROBERT CARTER AND BROTHERS, 

530 Broadway. 

1879. 






Copyright, 1879, 
By Robert Carter & Brothers. 



L 



WASHINGTO^J 



Cambridge : 
Presswork by John Wilson & Son. 




INTRODUCTION. 



$s>fh&> 




concise history of Jesus of Nazareth, 
embodying the prominent facts of 
His life, is needed for general cir- 
culation. To meet this necessity this volume 
has been prepared. The Lives of Christ 
written by eminent scholars are of great 
value. Their learning, their illustrations of 
scenes and places, as well as their discussions 
about the miracles and teachings of our Lord, 
commend them. Their size and cost, how- 
ever, limit their circulation. 

As this narrative necessarily introduces 
other personages, especially the witnesses of 
the resurrection, enough of their biography 
is given to make manifest their temperament 



vi Introduction. 

and character, and thus to render their tes- 
timony the more impressive. 

Who was Jesus of Nazareth? and what 
is He now ? are questions vital to every 
human being. They deserve to be seriously 
pondered, and honestly and intelligently 
answered. It is not enough to say, He was 
the son of Mary ; or the son of the Virgin 
Mary. It is not enough to say, He was 
conceived in the womb of the Virgin by the 
Holy Ghost, "the power of the Highest 
overshadowing," though this fact is unique 
and of unparalleled importance. Perfectly 
to answer these questions, a comprehensive 
view must be taken of His entire life, teach- 
ings, and works, as they are recorded upon 
the inspired page. 

I have the fullest confidence in His diversi- 
fied miracles as demonstrations of His Divine 
power and goodness. I regard His parables 
as unsurpassed in beauty, simplicity, and 
point, and His teachings as unmatched for 
elevation, dignity, and purity. His replies to 



Introduction. vii 

the many entangling questions of His keen- 
witted enemies were terse, prompt, and 
exhaustive, with no mingling of human in- 
firmity. All these concentrate their testi- 
mony, and tell us, in part, who and what 
Jesus of Nazareth was and is. 

But these I leave in their massive and im- 
pressive grandeur. Their illustration would 
lead me into rich and instructive fields of 
thought, which would far transcend the 
limits I have fixed, and in some measure 
divert attention from the purpose I have in 
view. I therefore confine myself to some 
of the more salient facts of His human 
pilgrimage, as telling with unmistakable em- 
phasis who Jesus of Nazareth was, and what 
He now is. I wish to consider, simply and 
devoutly, of the strange though bright in- 
cidents which cluster so richly around His 
annunciation and birth ; His baptism, with 
the affirming voice from heaven; His temp- 
tation, unequalled in length and intensity, 
with its triumphant issues ; His transfigura- 



viii Introduction. 

tion, with its unearthly splendour and Divine 
testimonies ; the supper, as the memorial 
monument of His dishonoured death ; His 
agonies amid the deep shadows and enfold- 
ing darkness of the garden ; His base be- 
trayal and arrest ; His trial, eminent for 
its mockery of justice ; His crucifixion, so 
tragic and graphic ; His burial, amid vigilant 
wrath and unconquerable love ; His resur- 
rection, the essential foundation-fact of the 
Christian religion ; His ascension, when a 
cloud of brightness and glory received Him ; 
His mediatorial kingdom, administered from 
His throne at the right hand of God ; and, 
finally, the dispensation of His Spirit, His 
power among men, and the destined triumphs 
of His truth and love. 

These and facts of kindred prominence 
discriminate Him from all other beings who 
have appeared upon the page of history. 
These render Him individual and unique. 
These place Him on the highest possible 
elevation, so that He stands out in lone but 



Introduction. ix 

brilliant conspicuousness as the Son of God, 
the King of men. 

It is not the dead, but the living Christ 
that is the true life of every Christian. " I 
am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; 
yet not I, but Christ liveth in me : and the 
life which I now live in the flesh I live by 
the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, 
and gave Himself for me." x 

" We see Jesus, who was made a little 
lower than the angels for the suffering of 
death, crowned with glory and honour ; that 
He by the grace of God should taste death 
for every man." 2 

My design in this volume is not so much 
apologetic as expository. I write not so 
much for sceptics as for sincere believers in 
the Christian religion and in the Bible as 
the inspired Word of God. My design is 
to fix the attention of my reader upon this 
series of incidents, all found in one short 
life; incidents such as never centred in 

1 Gal. ii. 20. 2 Heb. ii. 9. 



x Introduction. 

whole or in part in any other being; and 
thus to produce a firm conviction that Jesus 
of Nazareth, though born of the Virgin Mary, 
and therefore " the Son of man," but being 
conceived by the Holy Ghost, is " the Son 
of God," and that in this union of the human 
and the Divine natures in one person He is 
the atoning Saviour, the risen, and reigning 
Mediatorial King. 

Praying for the blessing of God to accom- 
pany this volume, I commend it 

" To Z ion's friends and mine. 19 

W. P 



THE HARMONY 



OF THE EVANGELISTS 



On the Topics of this Volume. 



SUBJECT. 


MATT. 


MARK. 


LUKE. 


JOHN. 


Annunciation to Mary — Nazareth 






1: 26-38 


Angel instructs Joseph — Nazareth 


i: 18-25 


... 






Jesus born — Bethlehem 


... 


• •• 


2: 1-7 




Shepherds and Song of Angels — 










Bethlehem 


... 


... 


2: 8-20 




Circumcision of Jesus — Bethlehem 


••• 




2: 21 


... 


Purification and testimony of 










Simeon and Anna — Temple, 










Jerusalem 


... 


... 


2: 22-38 


... 


The Magi — Jerusalem and Beth- 










lehem 


2 :i-6 Q-12 


... 




... 


Holy Family's Flight to Egypt 


2: 13-14 






... 


Herod's Cruelty 


2: is- 1 8 






... 


Return of Jesus to Nazareth 


2: ig-23 




2: 3g-40 


... 


In the Temple at Twelve Years 










old — Jerusalem 




... 


2: 41-52 


... 


The Genealogies 


1: i-iy 




3: 23-38 




Baptism of Jesus — Jordan 


3 : *j-*7 


1: g-u 


3: 21-23 


... 


Testimony of John the Baptist — 










Bethabara 








1 : ig-34 


The Temptation —Desert ofjudea 


4: 1 -1 1 


1: 12-13 


4: 1-13 




The Transfiguration — Region of 










Ccesarea Philippi 


17: 1-13 


9: 2-13 


9: 28-36 




The Lord's Memorial Supper — ) 
Jerusalem j 


26: 26-2g 


14: 22-25 


22: ig-20 


1 Cor. n: 








2 3-25 


Agony in Gethsemane — Mount \ 
of Olives j 


26 : 30, 


14:20,32- 


22: 3g-46 


18: 1 


36-46 


42 






Betrayed by Judas — Gethsemane 


26: 47-56 


14: 43S 2 


n'47-53 


18: 2-12 


Jesus before Annas — Jerusalem 








18: 13,14 
ig-24 


Jesus before Caiaphas and the ) 
Sanhedrim — Jerusalem ] 


26:57-58 


14: 53S4 


22:54-62 


18: ZJ-Zc? 


69-75 


66: j 2 




25-27 


Jesus before Pilate — Jerusalem 


27: 1, 2, 
11-14 


15: i-5 


23: r-5 


18:28-38 


Jesus before Herod — Jerusalem 






23: 6-12 




Barabbas preferred — Jerusalem 


27: 15-26 


J 5: 6-*S 


23: 13-25 


18:30-46 


Pilate scourges Jesus and delivers 










Him to the Jews — Jerusalem 


27: 26-30 


*5: *5-T9 




19: Z-J 



Xll 



Harmony of the Evangelists. 



SUBJECT. 


MA TT. 


MARK. 


LUKE. 


70HN. 


Pilate seeks to release Jesus — 






1 




Jerusalem 






i - 


19: 4-16 


Jesus led to Calvary — Calvary 


27: ji-34 


'15: 20-23 


123: 26- ?j\ 19: 16,17 


Jesus crucified — Calvary 
The Superscription — Calvary 


2 7'>3S-3#\*5- 24-28 


23--33-3S 


I 9 : /<?-*/ 


27: 36 


1 IS: 26 


1 *y-j8 


19: 10-21 


Jesus mocked — Calvary 


27: 39-42 


*5 : 20-33 


2 3: 35-37 




The Penitent Thief — Calvary 






23- 39-43 




Jesus commits His Mother to 










John — Calvary 




... 




19: 25-27 


The Darkness, and Jesus dies — 










Calvary 


*7- 45-50 


15: 33-37 


23: 44-46 


19: ^<?-JO 


Veil of Temple rent— Temple 


27: 51 


IS'- 3* 


23: 45 




The Earthquake, and the Graves 










opened — Jerusalem 


2 7-S*S3 








Centurion's Testimony — Calvary 


2 7: 54 


15: 39 


23: 47 


... 


The Women Witnesses — Calvary 


2 v- 55-56 


15:40-47 






Prophecy fulfilled — Calvary 








I9-3S-37 


Pilate gives the Corpse to Joseph 










— Calvary 


z7'57-58 


15: 42-45 


13-50-52 


19:38 


The Burial — Calvary 


27:50-60 


15:46 


23: 53 


19:38-42 


The Guarding the Sepulchre — 










Calvary 


27: 62-66 


... 




... 


The Women at the Funeral — 










Calvary 


27: 61 


15: 47 


23'55-56 




The Resurrection — Calvary 


27: 2-4 






... 


The Women early at the Tomb — 










Calvary 


28: 1 


16: 2-4 


24: 1-3 


20: 1 


What they saw and heard — Cal- 










vary 


28: 5-7 


16: 5-7 


24: 4-8 


20: 2 


Return to the City — Calvary 


28: 8-10 


16: 8 


24: 0-1 1 




Peter and John run to the Tomb ; 










John saw and believed —Calvary 


... 




24: 12 


20: 3-10 


Jesus seen by Mary Magdalene — 










Calvary 




l6: Q-II 




20: 11-18 


Report of Roman Guard — Calvary 


28: 11-15 






... 


Jesus at Emmaus — Emma us 


... 


16: 12-13 


24: 'J-JJ 


... 


Jesus appears to the Apostles, 










Thomas being absent — Jeru- 










salem 


... 


l6: I4-18 


2 4 :j>6-^9 


20: ^9-27 


Jesus appears to the Apostles 










with Thomas — Jerusalem 


... 


... 


... 


20: -2^-20 


The Apostles see Jesus at the Sea 










of Tiberias — Galilee 


28: 16 




... 


2i: I-24 


Jesus meets Five Hundred — \ 


28: 16-20 


[1 Cor. 


... 




Galilee J 




15:6] 






The Ascension 




16: 10-20 


z4'50-53 




The Final Testimony 


[Acts 9: 
1-72] 






20:30-31 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



£r&Si 



Chapter t. 

BIRTH AND YOUTH OF JESUS. 

Annunciation — Birth — Shepherds — Circumcision — Purifica- 
tion — Simeon — Anna — Magi — Flight to Egypt — Herod and 
the slaughter of innocents — Return to Nazareth — At twelve years 
old in the Temple — Beauty of person and Divine humanity... p. I 

Chapter it. 

THE SILENCE OF EIGHTEEN YEARS. 
Filial obedience — Dignity of labour 39 

Chapter fit. 

THE BAPTISM AND PRIESTHOOD. 

John the Baptist — John questioned by the priests and Levites 
— John's testimony at the Jordan — Baptized — Dove — Voice — 
Priesthood — Not Aaronic — Melchizedec 51 

Chapter ttu 

THE TEMPTATION. 

Why led to be tempted — Prophecy— Nature of temptation 
or trial — Protracted temptation — Adam inexcusable — Jesus an 
example — Sympathising High Priest — Trials elevate — Christ's 
human nature tried — The wilderness — The fast — Sustained by 
miracle — Moses, Elijah — The Tempter a person — His agonies 
diverse ways — Through external organs — Mental laws — Associa- 
tion — Imagination — Curiosity — Cases — First parents — Job — 



xiv Contents. 

Jesus — First trial, hungered — Second trial, pinnacle of Temple- 
Third trial, all the kingdoms — Temptations through life — 
Warnings and hope — Armour — Truth, its power 71 

Chapter iu 

THE TRANSFIGURATION. 

Mountains prominent in Scripture — Hermon — Peter, John, 
and James — Prayed, and countenance changed — Moses and Elias 
translated — Conversation — Sleep — Saw His glory — Cloud — 
Voice — Senseless as dead — Jesus touched them — Forbidden to 
tell of it till after the resurrection — Old and New Testament 



Chapter fcu 

THE MEMORIAL SUPPER. 

Monuments common — Of stone and metal to commemorate 

popular men and events, perishable — His a crucifixion as a 

malefactor — An ignominious death — Material bread and fruit of 

the vine 123 

Chapter biu 

GETHSEMANE. 

A garden— Disciples present — Christ alone — His prayer — The 
cup — What drops of blood — What He feared — Prayer answered — ■ 
Heb. v. 7 — Not die then and there — Angel strengthens ... 131 

Chapter toitu 

THE BETRAYAL. 

Meets Judas — The soldiers fall to the ground — The kiss — 
Question — Jesus not deceived — Seized and bound — Peter and 
his sword — Miracle of healing — Carried away 149 



pter 1%. 

THE TRIAL. 

Before Ann is, the former High Priest — Examined of His doc- 
trine — Reply — Unlawfully smitten — Not reproved — Paul's case — 
Before Caiaphas — Pharisees take no part — False witnesses— 
Jesus holds His peace — Attempt to make Him convict Him- 
self — Christ admits His Divinity — Clothes rent — Charged with 
blasphemy and guilty of death -Mocked — Spit upon — Blind- 



Contents. xv 

folded — Before Pilate — A Roman procurator — Not the most 
guilty — Calls for the accusation and dismisses the case — Return 
with accusation — Perverting nation, and refusing tribute — Ex- 
amined—Christ's silence — Pilate further examines — What is 
truth ? — No fault in Him — Sent to Herod — Fierce accusations 
by the piiests — Questions — No proof— Silence of Christ — Set at 
naught and mocked — Sent back — Again before Pilate — Pro- 
nounced innocent — Proposed to chastise— Jesus or Barabbas — - 
Christ rejected — Message from Pilate's wife — Barabbas chosen — 
Clamour for crucifixion — Pilate strives — Priests prevail — Wash- 
ing his hands — Imprecation of Jews — Scourged — Soldiers 
cruelly treat, mock, and deride Him — Last attempt of Pilate — 
Blasphemy again charged — Christ's silence — Reply to Pilate — 
Political motives, and Pilate yields and gives the order — Led 
away — Bears His Cross — Daughters of Jerusalem — Calvary 
not a mountain — Place of execution — Two thieves — Crucifixion 
a Roman punishment — Stripped — Laid down on the cross — 
Prayer — Inscription — Jews dissatisfied — Cross raised up — Divide 
the clothes — Prophecy fulfilled — Bodily suffering — Reviled 
thieves — One prays — Christ promises — Mental sufferings — The 
darkness — Christianity born- — Dies all alone, and with submis- 
sion — Touching incident with His mother — Where He trusts 
His cause — The women — Veil rent — Scruples — Prophecy... 159 

Chapter $. 

THE BURIAL. 

Actually dead — Evidence— Joseph of Arimathasa — Nicodemus 
— Roman guard — Loving women — Magdalene — Mary wife of 
Cleophas — Salome— Joanna 213 

Chapter %L 

THE RESURRECTION. 
Night — Earthquake— Angel — Guards — Time m the tomb — 
Women on the way — Mary Magdalene goes for Peter and John 
— Other women see the angel — See Jesus — His message — Tell 
Disciples — Peter and John come — John believed — Mary Magda- 
lene does not recognise Christ — Afterwards she knows Him — 
Testimony of soldiers — Credibility of witnesses — Emmaus — Ex- 
pounds Scriptures— Made known — With the Ten — Christ ap- 



xvi Contents. 

pears — Proofs — With the Ten and Thomas— Thomas's con- 
duct — Convinced — Sea of Tiberias — Christ speaks to them — 
Talk with Peter — The five hundred — Other testimonies — Peter — 
Paul — What if no resurrection ? ... 229 

Chapter *tL 

THE ASCENSION. 

His teachings for forty days — Promise of the Spirit — Mount of 
Olives — Taken up — Cloud — His last act a benediction — Two 
men, and who were they — Prediction — Return to Jerusalem — 
Life of Jesus meets the prophecies 285 

Chapter jcttu 

THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 

Apostles abide in Jerusalem praying — Holy Spirit given by 
Christ — The Spirit's power always present — A distinctive part of 
Christ's mission — Apostolic Preaching — Filled with faith and the 
Holy Ghost — Fundamentals — Jesus and the Resurrection — Pen- 
tecost — Other times 295 

Chapter jciin 

THE MEDIATORIAL KING. 
Wherefore ascend ? — Prophecy — History — To carry out all the 
purposes of the atonement — Every being interested — The heavenly 
principalities — Illustrates the nature of sin and rebel angels — 
Men under mercy — Government of God — Power of love — Con- 
summation — Great majority saved — and Christ satisfied ... 309 



I. 

THE BIRTH AND YOUTH OF JESUS. 




CHAPTER I. 

THE BIRTH AND YOUTH OF JESUS. 
THE ANNUNCIATION. 

|he birth of Jesus Christ was attended 
by such peculiar circumstances, both 
private and public, as to give it 
very marked distinction. The more private 
circumstances were known in the immediate 
family and the wider circle of relatives. 
" The angel Gabriel was sent from God unto 
a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a 
virgin espoused to a man whose name was 
Joseph, cf the house of David ; and the 
virgin's name was Mary." " And the angel 
said unto her, Fear not, Mary : for thou hast 
found favour with God. And, behold, thou 
shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth 
a Son, and shalt call His name Jesus." " The 



4 Jesus of Nazareth. 

Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the 
power of the Highest shall overshadow thee : 
therefore also that holy thing which shall be 
born of thee shall be called the Son of God." ■ 
Here are facts to be clearly authenticated or 
denied. The name of the virgin and her resi- 
dence are given, and the additional incident 
that she " was espoused to a man whose name 
was Joseph." Not any Joseph, but " Joseph 
of the house of David ; " Joseph the lineal 
descendant from David the king; Joseph of 
the royal line. The appearance of the angel 
Gabriel and his wonderful announcement to 
the virgin doubtless were private, and known 
only to Mary and a few to whom she com- 
municated the facts. They rest not alone on 
her veracity, but also on the corroborating 
circumstances of the birth of John the Bap- 
tist, whose mother Elisabeth, the wife of 
Zacharias, bore this son when she and her 
husband " were well stricken in years."* 

THE BIRTH. 

This did not take place at Nazareth, 
in Galilee, the residence of Joseph, but in 

1 Luke i. 26, 27, 30, 31, 35. 2 Luke i. 18. 



The Birth and Youth of Jesus. 5 

Bethlehem of Judea. This town was six 
miles south-west from Jerusalem and eighty 
miles from Nazareth. Though of great an- 
tiquity, it never was a place of political im- 
portance. It was, and is, illustrious chiefly 
as the birthplace of David and of Christ. In 
its neighbourhood stood the tomb of Rachel. 
In its fields Ruth gleaned. On its hills 
David watched his flocks. But that which 
gathers to it the interest of all the ages is the 
fact that Jesus was born there. " Now the 
birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise : " * "It 
came to pass in those days, that there went 
out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the 
world should be taxed." 2 This enrolment w r as 
not carried out, in the usual Roman manner, in 
the cities where the people resided or in the 
district to whose jurisdiction the places of their 
abode belonged. But the emperor ordered 
them to appear according to families, it 
being usual to register the Jews in the town 
where the family originated. This concession 
to the Jews was made because of their intense 
sensitiveness as to any tax being levied upon 
them by a heathen power by which they had 

1 Matt. i. 18. 2 Luke ii. I. 



6 Jesus of Nazareth. 

been subjugated ; as also because of the 
tenacity with which they held to their gene- 
alogies. Matthew thus sums up the gene- 
alogy by Joseph : " So all the generations 
from Abraham to David are fourteen genera- 
tions; and from David until the carrying away 
into Babylon are fourteen generations ; and 
from the carrying away into Babylon unto 
Christ are fourteen generations. " x Luke (iii. 
23-28) traces the genealogical line on the side 
of Mary. Thus both by Joseph and Mary Jesus 
was a lineal descendant of David. Dr. Edward 
Robinson, in his Harmony, says: " Matthew, 
as writing particularly for Jews, traces our 
Lord's descent only to David and to Abraham; 
but Luke, as writing for Gentiles, traces it 
rather to Adam. The two genealogies thus 
prove Jesus to be : 1. The Son of David, who 
should, according to promise, sit on the throne 
of Israel (Isa. ix. 6, 7; Luke i. 32 ; Acts ii. 30). 

2. The Seed of Abraham, in whom all nations 
of the earth should be blessed, according to 
the covenant made with the father of the 
faithful (Gen. xxii. 18 ; Gal. iii. 14-16). 

3. The Son of Man, or, 'the seed of the 

x Matt. i. 17. 



The Birth and Youth of Jesus. 7 

woman/ who should bruise the serpent's 
head (Gen. iii. 15 ; Heb. ii. 14). " The enrol- 
ment being made in Bethlehem, in accordance 
with Jewish usage, would be an authoritative 
recognition of the royal descent of Jesus both 
by Joseph and by Mary. 

"All went to be taxed, every one into his 
own city. And Joseph also went up from 
Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into 
Judea, unto the city of David, which is called 
Bethlehem ; (because he was of the house 
and lineage of David :) to be taxed with 
Mary his espoused wife, being great with 
child. " x It was the Roman custom to num- 
ber the women and children as well as the 
men, and therefore Mary, notwithstanding 
her then condition, accompanied Joseph. But 
from the genealogy as given by Luke there 
is ground for the belief that Mary went to be 
enrolled as the heiress of another ^branch of 
David's family. In obedience to this decree 
of the Roman emperor the prophecy of 
Micah v. 2 was fulfilled: " But thou, Bethle- 
hem Ephratah, though thou be little among 
the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall 

1 Luke ii. 3-5. 



8 Jesus of Nazareth. 

He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in 
Israel." This prediction was understood as 
referring to the Messiah. Those who rejected 
Him because of His residence in Galilee said, 
"Shall Christ come out of Galilee? Hath 
not the Scripture said, That Christ cometh of 
the seed of David, and out of the town of 
Bethlehem, where David was?" " Thus does 
Providence ahvays answer truly to prophecy. 

The enrolment drew many strangers to this 
little town, in which there was but one khan, 
or inn. So that when Joseph and Mary 
arrived " there was no room for them in the 
inn." Necessity compelled them to seek the 
next best shelter. There " was attached to 
this inn a stable or court for cattle, having a 
partial shelter and a bench, or perhaps a 
trough, for provender, here called a manger." 

Tradition, on the authority of some of the 
fathers, says that it was a cave. Caves, we 
know, were often used as stables. But as 
the inspired record is silent on this point, 
we prefer to adhere to the simple statement 
that the infant Saviour was laid in a manger 
to which the cattle resorted for their food. 

1 John vii. 41, 42. 



The Birth and Youth of Jesus. g 

" Among the hay and straw spread for 
the food and rest of the cattle, weary with 
their day's journey, far from home, in the 
midst of strangers, in the chilly winter 
night — in circumstances so devoid of all 
earthly comfort or splendour that it is im- 
possible to imagine a humbler nativity — 
Christ was born." 1 "And so it was, that, 
while they were there, the days were accom- 
plished that she should be delivered. And she 
brought forth her first- born Son, and wrapped 
Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a 
manger ; because there was no room for them 
in the inn." 2 How long the mother, with 
the Holy Child, remained in this cattle en- 
closure is not intimated. Probably it was 
not long, as the many strangers, having ac- 
complished their enrolment, would depart, 
leaving better accommodation for the Holy 
Family ; as by the Jewish law the mother 
could not leave the house for forty days. 

THE SHEPHERDS. 

The next incident connected with the birth 
of the Saviour is the announcement made by 

1 Farrar's Life of Christ. 2 Luke ii. 6, 7. 



io Jesus of Nazareth. 

an angel to the shepherds, who, in the dis- 
trict of Bethlehem, were keeping the watches 
of the night over their flock: " Lo, the angel 
of the Lord came upon them, and the glory 
of the Lord shone round about them." This 
unexpected and overpowering splendour not 
only surprised but alarmed them: " they were 
sore afraid." Allaying theirfears, " the angel 
said unto them, I bring you good tidings 
of great joy, which shall be to all people. 
For unto you is born this day in the city of 
David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." x 
These three appellations — Saviour, Christ, 
Lord — point to His saving work, His Divine 
appointment as the Anointed One, and His 
supreme dignity as Mediatorial King. The 
sign or evidence which was to confirm their 
faith in this announcement was the fact, 
" Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swad- 
dling clothes, lying in a manger." Imme- 
diately, yea, " suddenly there was with the 
angel a multitude of the heavenly host prais- 
ing God, and saying, Glory to God in the 
highest, and on earth peace, good will toward 
men." 2 Such was the historic song of the 

1 Luke ii. 9-1 1 2 Luke ii. 13, 14. 



The Birth and Youth of Jesus. n 

angels celebrating the incarnation of Messiah, 
when " the Word was made flesh, and dwelt 
among us." 1 

When the angels had departed and the last 
echo of their song had died away, the shep- 
herds went in haste to Bethlehem, where 
they " found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe 
lying in a manger." They saw the appointed 
sign, and believed. Then " they made known 
abroad the saying which was told them con- 
cerning this child." Those who heard won- 
dered, but " Mary kept [in memory] all these 
things, and pondered in her heart." Having 
performed their mission to the city of David, 
the shepherds returned to their vigils over their 
flocks, but with hearts full, for they praised 
and glorified God "for all the things that they 
had heard and seen, as it was told unto them." 
All these strange but significant facts cluster 
like stars of light around the birth of Christ. 

THE CIRCUMCISION. 

In obedience to the command, " Every man 
child among you shall be circumcised," " He 
that is eight days old shall be circumcised," 3 

1 John i. 14. 2 Gen. xvii. 10, 12. 



12 Jesus of Nazareth. 

the infant Saviour was circumcised, and " His 
name was called Jesus. " 1 The conferring of 
this name was neither accidental nor in the 
ordinary course of things. So far as the two 
genealogies are given, there is no evidence 
that any of His kindred bore that name. It 
was given Him by Divine appointment. 
" Which was so named of the angel before 
He was conceived in the womb." So also an 
angel told Joseph, " Thou shalt call His name 
Jesus: for He shall save His people from 
their sins." Jesus was the proper name of 
our Lord, and to distinguish Him from others 
He is also called " Jesus of Nazareth" and 
" Jesus the Son of Joseph." Jesus is the 
English modification of the Greek form of 
the name. Its import is indicated by the 
reason assigned by the angel to Joseph, " be- 
cause He shall save His people from their 
sins." Christ is not a proper name, but a 
designation of office, "the anointed." In- 
stead of saying Jesus Christ, it is more accu- 
rate to say Jesus the Christ. "The Messiah" 
and "the Christ " (words of the same mean- 
ing in two different languages) designate 

1 Luke ii. 21. 



The Birth and Youth of Jesus. 13 

Fris office as the Anointed Prophet, Priest, 
and King. 

As the mother, according to the Jewish 
law, could not leave the house for forty days, 
the circumcision was doubtless performed by 
Joseph at Bethlehem. The narrative gives 
no further prominence to this event than the 
simple record of the fact that, in strict ac- 
cordance with the legal requirement, He was 
circumcised on the eighth day. 

THE PURIFICATION. 

By the law, from the time of the birth of 
a male child, the mother was held to be un- 
clean for forty days; during which time she 
was not allowed to leave the house. Accord- 
ingly, on the fortieth day the virgin mother, 
with her babe, presented herself at the Temple 
for purification. 

The prescribed offering was " a lamb of 
the first year for a burnt offering, and a young 
pigeon, or a turtle dove, for a sin offering, ,, 
which the priest shall offer " before the 
Lord, and make an atonement for her ; and she 
shall be cleansed. " But if the parent, through 
poverty, was unable to present the lamb, 



14 Jesus of Nazareth. 

" then she shall bring two turtles, or two youffg 
pigeons ; the one for the burnt offering, and 
the other for a sin offering, and the priest 
shall make an atonement for her, and she 
shall be clean." ■ It was with this offering, 
clearly denoting the humble pecuniary con- 
dition of Joseph, that Mary presented herself 
for purification. 

Under the law God claimed the first-born 
as peculiarly His, to be devoted to the Temple 
service. As all such would not be required, 
a provision for redemption was instituted: 
" Nevertheless the first-born of man shalt 
thou surely redeem " "for the money of five 
shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary." 2 
The amount of the redemption in English 
coin would be about sixteen shillings. 

By His circumcision the Lord was for- 
mally " placed under the law," and sub- 
jected to all its demands. So teaches the 
apostle : " But when the fulness of the time 
was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a 
woman, made under the law, to redeem them 
that were under the law, that we might 
receive the adoption of sons." 3 

1 Lev. xii. C-3. 2 Num. xviii. 15, 1 6. 3 Gal. iv. 4, 5. 



The Birth and Youth of Jesus. 15 

This presentation of the babe at the Temple 
was deepened in significance by the recogni- 
tion of this infant as the promised Messiah — 
the Saviour — by Simeon, " a just and devout 
man, waiting for the consolation of Israel; " 
and by Anna, a prophetess, who " served God 
with fastings and prayers." The Holy 
Ghost was upon Simeon, " and it was revealed 
unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should 
not see death, before he had seen the Lord's 
Christ;" "the Lord's Anointed One." 
Under the influence and guidance of the 
Spirit, he came into the Temple — he took 
the babe " up in his arms, and blessed God, 
and said, Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant 
depart in peace, according to Thy word : for 
mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which 
Thou hast prepared before the face of all 
people ; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and 
the glory of Thy people Israel." 1 These won- 
derful utterances, forecasting the future great- 
ness and blessedness of this child, deeply 
amazed Joseph and the mother : they " mar- 
velled at those things which were spoken of 
Him." Simeon then " blessed them." To 

1 Luke ii. 25-32. 



1 6 Jesus of Nazareth. 

Mary he said, " This child is set for the fall 
and rising again of many in Israel ; and for a 
sign which shall be spoken against." It is not 
a life of peace and triumph and glory which 
is before Him, but of opposition and strife, of 
suffering and sorrow, of betrayal and death. 
" Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own 
soul also ; " fulfilled most solemnly when, 
with tearless anguish, she saw Him nailed to 
the cross. 

Anna the prophetess, 1 a widow aged about 
eighty-four years, who " departed not from 
the Temple, but served God. . . night and 
day," " coming in at that instant gave thanks 
likewise unto the Lord, and spake of Him to 
all them that looked for redemption in Jeru- 
salem." Perverted as w r ere the ideas of the 
Sanhedrim, who looked for a temporal con- 
quering prince in the promised Messiah, 
and general as were the corruptions of the 
times, still there was a remnant of the truly 
pious in the Holy City who searched and 
understood the Scriptures, and who en- 
couraged each other whilst looking for the 
promised One. 

1 Luke ii. 36. 



The Birth and Youth of Jesus. 17 

The attestation of Simeon is corroborative 
of the fact that the Jews, as instructed by the 
prophets, were at that time expecting the ap- 
pearance of the Messiah. It is more than this. 
The facts, that " it was revealed unto him 
by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see 
death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ," 
that he came by the Spirit into the Temple, 
and that he immediately recognised the babe 
as the promised Saviour, carry the Divine 
attestation that this Jesus is the Son of God, 
the Divine Redeemer, the " Lamb of God 
which taketh away the sin of the world." 

THE MAGI. 

Incidents of intense interest crowd forward 
to add their testimony. We have heard from 
the devout in Israel that the Messiah had 
come, " a light to lighten the Gentiles ; " and 
now a deputation of wise men from the 
Gentile world of the East come to pay their 
homage. 

These wise men, in their own country, 

supposed to be Chaldssa, were called Magi. 

They were men of distinction, as the leaders 

in religion and learned in astronomy and 

3 



18 Jesus of Nazareth. 

astrology. At this time, throughout the East, 
there was a prevailing, and in some parts an 
intense, conviction that a powerful king would 
arise in Judea, who would obtain dominion 
over the whole world. The way in which 
this expectation originated and spread may^ 
be accounted for with a measurable degree 
of certainty. Suetonius says : " An old and 
firm opinion had prevailed over all the East 
that it w r as written in the Book of the Fates 
that some one coming out of Judea at that 
time should obtain the empire of the world. " 
Among the Jews this looking for a conqueror 
to deliver their nation and to have supreme 
authority, took its rise from the prophe- 
cies concerning the Messiah contained in 
their sacred books. Josephus intimates that 
among the Arabians, who descended from 
Ishmael, it was derived from the promise 
made to Abraham. Of this promise they 
preserved a traditional knowledge. Balaam, 
the Arabian, when importuned by Balak to 
curse Israel, said, " There shall come a Star 
out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of 
Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, 
and destroy all the children of Sheth." " Out 



The Birth and Youth of Jesus. 19 

of Jacob shall come He that shall have 
dominion. " The Septuagint version is : " A 
man shall come forth of his [Jacob's] seed, 
and shall rule many nations, and his kingdom 
shall be exalted above Gog [the name of the 
kings of the Scythian nations], and it shall 
be increased." The Jews, who in their 
several captivities were dispersed through 
the East, spread the knowledge of their 
prophecies of the Messiah, and thus begat 
that expectation which was so universal as 
to attract the notice of Tacitus, the Roman 
historian. Zoroaster, the reformer of disci- 
pline and worship in Persia, is maintained by 
many to have been a disciple of the prophet 
Daniel, whose predictions concerning the 
Messiah were most definite as to the time of 
His appearing. Thus was accomplished the 
prophecy in Haggai (ii. 7), " I will shake all 
nations, and the Desire of all nations shall 
come : and I will fill this house with glory, 
saith the Lord of Hosts." 

The Magi noticed a new star, or luminous 
appearance, in the heavens, which, according 
to the then received doctrine, they recognised 
as the symbol of a new kingly power. What 



20 Jesus of Nazareth. 

this star was cannot now be determined, but 
the design of its appearance is made manifest. 
Perceiving that it moved not as other stars 
did, but appeared to advance in a westerly 
course, they followed as it led the way, and, 
with its light upon their path, arrived at Jeru- 
salem. Naturally and with propriety they pre- 
sented themselves to Herod, then the king 
under the Roman empire, with the inquiry, 
" Where is He that is born King of the Jews ? " 
To give point and force to this question they 
state, " For we have seen His star in the east, 
and are come to worship Him." This question 
and these testimonies troubled Herod, " and 
all Jerusalem with him." Herod being an 
Idumsean, a foreigner and a usurper, had 
good cause to fear one who by birth was 
King of the Jews. All Jerusalem reasonably 
dreaded fresh conflicts and wars, which would 
certainly lead to new and perhaps more 
aggravated cruelties on the part of Herod. 
The king, concealing his apprehensions, 
treated the Magi with respect, and having 
heard their request, he " gathered all the 
chief priests and scribes of the people to- 
gether," and " demanded of them where 



The Birth and Youth of Jesus. 21 

Christ should be born." 1 The highest in- 
telligence, learning, and authority were thus 
convened ; and the scribes, from a careful ex- 
amination of their sacred books, replied, " In 
Bethlehem of Judea." The apprehension and 
trouble of Herod were not allayed, but intensi- 
fied, by this answer. It woke up new determi- 
nations, as the place of the nativity was in his 
own dominions and near at hand. " Herod, 
when he had privily called the wise men, in- 
quired of them diligently what time the star 
appeared." Knowing this, he could form a 
probable estimate of the time when this King 
of the Jews was born. He then sent the Magi 
to Bethlehem, with the injunction, " Go and 
search diligently for the youngchild; and when 
ye have found Him, bring me word again, 
that I may come and wwship Him also." The 
charge to " search diligently" arose from the 
belief that the parents of the Messiah would 
conceal Him until He should grow to man- 
hood. If he had formed the purpose of killing 
this child, he covered it up with the proffered 
desire to worship Him ; another illustration 
of the truth that there are more hypocrites 
out of the Church than there are in it. 

1 Matt. ii. 4. 



22 Jesus of Nazareth. 

When the Magi had received the instruc- 
tions of Herod, " they departed ; and, lo, 
the star, which they saw in the east, went 
before them, till it came and stood over 
where the young Child was." Thus guided, 
"they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. 
And when they were come into the house, 
they saw the young Child with Mary His 
mother, and fell down, and worshipped Him.' , 
The phrase "fell down" indicates that, ac- 
cording to the custom of Eastern people, 
they did not simply kneel, but prostrated 
themselves on the ground, and in this humble 
attitude did homage to the Child, thus acknow- 
ledging Him as King and offering allegiance 
to Him. As Eastern people never come into 
the presence of their prince without an offer- 
ing, which generally consists of the choicest 
productions of their country, so the Magi 
"opened their treasures," and i ' presented unto 
Him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh." 
This was the highest tribute they could pay. 
Notwithstanding the humble condition in 
w 7 hich they found Him, they manifested a re- 
verence which we do not read they had paid to 
Herod, who dwelt in his magnificent palace. 



The Birth and Youth of Jesus. 23 

The visit of these " wise men from the 
east," so singularly led to Bethlehem by the 
guiding star, was not one of mere ceremon} 7 , 
but designed of God to make clear to all 
the generations of men what were the expec- 
tations then entertained among the Gentiles, 
and to confirm the prophecies which had 
raised such a general hope — "the Desire 
of all nations." Their coming brought out 
under positive authority the decision of the 
Sanhedrim, embracing the most learned of 
the Jewish teachers of the law then living, 
that Bethlehem was to be the place of their 
Messiah's nativity. The return of these 
" wise men " to their own country would 
carry tidings of the Messiah, which would 
prepare the way for the reception of the 
Gospel when it should be carried thither 
by the apostles of the Lord. Nor can we 
overlook the beneficent care of Providence 
in the gifts of these " w 7 ise men," thus placing 
Joseph in a condition to support his family 
in Egypt, whither he was to flee to preserve 
the life of the Child. 

Though Herod succeeded in covering up 
his designs respecting the babe " born King 



24 Jesus of Nazareth. 

of the Jews " from the knowledge of men, 
he could not deceive God. Knowing perfectly 
his cruel purpose, He warned the wise men 
not to return to Jerusalem and give informa- 
tion to Herod, but to depart to their country 
by another route. This they obeyed. As 
all God's plans are harmonious, and work 
together as parts of a whole, He sent an 
angel who appeared to Joseph in a dream or 
vision, saying, " Arise, and take the young 
Child and His mother, and flee into Egypt, 
and be thou there until I bring thee word : 
for Herod will seek the young Child to de- 
stroy Him." Thus warned, and stimulated 
by the reason assigned, Joseph immediately 
complied. " When he arose, he took the 
young Child and His mother by night, and 
departed into Egypt." Both Egypt and 
Syria were beyond the dominion of Herod. 
Egypt was nearer to Bethlehem than w r as 
Syria. Herod had less of influence in Egypt 
than in Syria. In Egypt, and particularly at 
Alexandria, there were many Jews, by whom 
Joseph and his family would be welcomed, and 
with whom they could reside in safety. But in 
whatever place they abode, it was the place 



The Birth and Youth of Jesus. 25 

of refuge which God had provided for them. 
How long they lived in Egypt is not stated. 
The limitation was until the death of Herod. 
Having waited in vain for the return of 
the wise men, and having failed in obtaining 
definite information of the time of the birth 
and the place of residence of the Child 
" born King of the Jews," Herod u was 
exceeding wroth," and now determined to 
secure his object by a wide slaughter. He 
" sent forth, and slew all the [male] children 
that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts 
thereof, from two years old and under, ac- 
cording to the time which he had diligently 
inquired of the wise men." He had ascer- 
tained from the Magi when they first saw 
the star, and how long they had been on 
their journey, and thus concluded that from 
two years and under would certainly in- 
clude this particular child. " All the coasts 
thereof" were brought under this curse, lest 
the child might not be in Bethlehem, but 
be secreted in the neighbourhood. These 
instructions to his agents show how in- 
tensely determined he was to destroy the 
Child " born King of the Jews." That this 



26 Jesus of Nazareth. 

massacre of the innocents was accomplished 
is a fact well authenticated. The evangelist 
chronicles the event as the fulfilment of a 
prediction : " Then was fulfilled that which 
was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, 
In Rama was there a voice heard, lamen- 
tation, and weeping, and great mourning, 
Rachel weeping forherchildren, and would not 
be comforted, because they are not." 1 How 
many children were thus slaughtered cannot 
now be determined ; only a probable esti- 
mate can be made. Bethlehem, it is known, 
was not a large place, and consequently the 
number of children under two years could 
not be numerous, probably not more than 
twenty-five or thirty. This act of cruelty, 
dictated by political motives, was in perfect 
keeping with the character of the man who 
murdered his wife, his brother, his three sons, 
and who ordered a general massacre for the 
day of his funeral, so that his body might be 
buried, not amidst rejoicings, but amidst the 
tears and lamentations of the people for their 
own dead. 

Soon after this terrible and vengeful act 
1 Matt. ii. 17, 18. 



The Birth .and Youth of Jesus. 27 

of cruelty Herod died. Then an angel of 
the Lord appeared "in a dream [or vision] to 
Joseph in Egypt, saying, Arise, and take the 
young Child and His mother, and go into the 
land of Israel : for they are dead which sought 
the young Child's life." Joseph " took the 
young Child and His mother, and came into 
the land of Israel," intending, most probably, 
to return to Bethlehem, that he might there 
suitably educate this son, so singularly pointed 
out as the promised Messiah. " But when 
he heard," on his reaching the southern part 
of Judea, " that Archelaus did reign in Judea 
in the room of his father Herod, he was 
afraid to go thither," and "turned aside into 
the parts of Galilee." This part of Palestine 
was under the dominion of Herod Antipas,who, 
though own brother to Archelaus, was a man 
of milder temperament. Here Joseph thought 
that, in the obscurity of his humble occu- 
pation, and in a village distant from Jeru- 
salem, this son would be more safe from the 
atrocities of w r icked, ambitious men. " And 
he came and dw T elt in a city called Nazareth," 
a small town in Lower Galilee, about eighty 
miles from Jerusalem and six miles north- 



28 Jesus of Nazareth. 

west of Mount Tabor, and midway between 
the river Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea. 
The evangelist Luke thus closes this part of 
the life of our Lord: "And when they, had 
performed all things according to the law of 
the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their 
own city Nazareth. And the child grew, 
and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wis- 
dom : and the grace of God was upon Him." ■ 
The statement that " He increased in wisdom 
and stature" can only apply to His human 
nature, which was complete and distinct from 
the Divine. This, and only this, was capable 
of growth in wisdom, and could be dependent 
upon Divine influences. 

The union of Divinity with humanity in 
the person of Jesus Christ no man can 
explain, and no man can comprehend. How 
the finite and the infinite, the human and 
the Divine, were so united in Christ as to 
form one complex person, the Scriptures do 
not explain. They simply reveal and state 
the fact as a matter of faith, without any 
attempt to solve the mystery of the incarna- 
tion. That such an union of the human 

x Luke ii. *o, 40. 



The Birth and Youth of Jesus. 29 

and Divine in one Person existed we must 
believe, because it rests on evidence clear 
and abundant, and which cannot be set aside. 
The fact may be and is clear, whilst the 
method of the union is incomprehensible to 
our present limited faculties ; not more 
inexplicable, however, than the union of the 
soul, a spiritual existence, with the fleshly 
human body. By what subtle arrangement 
the soul indwells and gives life and power 
to the body, no investigation of men has 
ever detected. The fact is palpable, but 
the explanation lies beyond our reach. So 
the union of the human and the Divine in 
Christ, forming one Person, is a fact. 

AT TWELVE YEARS OF AGE. 

The law required the presence of all males 
thrice a year in the Holy City, to celebrate the 
appointed festivals. When Jesus was twelve 
years old the parents took Him with them to 
Jerusalem. Among the Jews, when a boy # 
entered his thirteenth year he was called a 
" son of the law," and was initiated into its 
observances. At this visit an incident oc- 
curred which is the more remarkable as it is 



30 Jesus of Nazareth. 

the only piece of intelligence recorded in that 
period of Christ's life which extended from the 
presentation in the Temple to His baptism, 
covering a period of about thirty years. " And 
when they had fulfilled the days, as they re- 
turned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jeru- 
salem; and Joseph and His mother knew not of 
it." When the Passover ended, a great number 
of strangers, forming themselves into com- 
panies for companionship and security, would 
leave the city for their respective homes. The 
parents, supposing that Jesus was somewhere 
in the company, felt no apprehension. But 
when, at the close of the first day's journey, 
they " sought Him among their kinsfolk and 
acquaintance," and "found Him not," they 
were filled with anxiety, and immediately, 
though the day was deepening into night, " they 
turnedbackagain to Jerusalem, seeking Him." 
Maternal love made Mary intrepid. She 
pressed on through the dark and lonely way 
with eager search. On the third day, to their 
great joy, " they found Him in the Temple, 
sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hear- 
ing them, and asking them questions." 1 The 

x Luke ii. 46. 



The Birth and Youth of Jesus. 31 

fact that He was found in the Temple — found 
where the learned doctors of the law gave 
their interpretations, may not be regarded 
as strange for an intelligent youth of in- 
quiring mind. But that a person so young 
should understanding^ enter into the dis- 
cussions of these learned men, and evince 
such depth of thought, was a matter of marvel. 
" All that heard Him were astonished at His 
understanding and answers." So also were 
the parents amazed. It is, however, prominent 
on the face of the narrative, that Jesus was 
there to inquire and learn. There was in His 
manner neither forwardness nor arrogance, 
which would have been rebuked by the teach- 
ers of the law. But the utmost freedom of 
inquiry and discussion was encouraged by the 
learned. The mother, with something of re- 
proach, said, " Son, why hast Thou thus dealt 
with us ? behold, Thy father and I have sought 
Thee sorrowing." His answer is memorable 
for its simplicity and earnestness. These are 
the first recorded words of the Lord Jesus : 
" How is it that ye sought Me ? wist ye 
not that I must be about My Father's busi- 
ness ? " This reply indicates great ma- 



32 Jesus of Nazareth. 

turity of mind, thirst for knowledge, a love of 
truth, and faith in the being, presence, and 
favour of God. More than this, it reveals 
tne consciousness of His Divine nature and 
mission. It is in perfect keeping with what 
He said at the well of Samaria, " My meat is to 
do the will of Him that sent Me, and to finish 
His work." x There is perhaps an implied sur- 
prise that, after the annunciation made by 
Gabriel to Mary ? the strange manifestations 
at the birth, the attestations of Simeon and 
Anna at the purification, and the homage 
of the wise men from the East, Joseph and 
Mary should still be in doubt about His Divine 
nature and mission. But they did not com- 
prehend the past. " And they understood 
not the saying which He spake unto them." 
" His mother kept all these sayings in her 
heart." Though she could not then under- 
stand the full meaning of these things, she 
did not reject or disbelieve them; she thought 
upon them, and waited for their development. 
Though conscious of His Divine parentage 
as " the Son of God," yet, in dutiful obedience, 
" He went down with them, and came to 

1 John iv. 34. 



The Birth and Youth of Jesus. 33 

Nazareth, and was subject unto them." This 
cheerful and prompt subjection showed itself 
in obedience to parental authority and in 
working at the trade of Joseph. We read 
that those who in Nazareth rejected Him 
said, " Is not this the carpenter, the son of 
Mary?" 1 

The desire to know the early history of 
Jesus is quite natural. But an almost im- 
penetrable screen is thrown over it. So far 
as the incidents of His life bear upon the great 
work for which He became incarnate, they are 
clearly stated. The only recorded particulars 
prior to His entrance upon His public ministry 
are, — the annunciation and the circumstances 
of His birth, His circumcision and presenta- 
tion in the Temple, with the facts that at 
the age of twelve He distinguished Himself 
among the learned doctors by a wisdom and 
penetration far in advance of His years, and 
that He thus early understood the Divine 
purpose of His mission on earth. The nar- 
rative contains nothing for the gratification 
of curiosity ; it furnishes no details of life, 
no incidents of adventure ; it tells only that 

x Mark vi. 3. 
4 



34 Jesus of Nazareth. 

" He increased in wisdom and stature, and 
in favour with God and man." These state- 
ments refer to His human nature. His wis- 
dom and stature are both especially men- 
tioned, as if His bodily no less than His 
mental development was remarkable. Is it, 
then, a stretch of imagination to say that, 
whilst He remained with His mother in 
Nazareth, the comeliness of His person, the 
sweetness of His disposition, and the vigour 
of His faculties, contributed to win the ad- 
miration and affection of all who were ac- 
quainted with Him ? " Thou art fairer than 
the children of men : grace is poured into 
Thy lips: therefore God hath blessed Thee 
for ever." x In His human person He made 
manifest the excellency and glory of a being 
made in the image of God and sinless. 
But when that same glorious One " bore 
our griefs and carried our sorrows," — " was 
wounded for our transgressions and bruised 
for our iniquities" — "when His soul was made 
an offering for sin,"-— no wonder that " His 
visage was so marred more than any man, 
and His form more than the sons of men!" 

1 Psa. xlv. 2. 



The Birth and Youth of Jesus. 35 

In His youth and manhood were seen, 
undoubtedly, the personal beauty and gran- 
deur of a sinless human being ; while in 
the marred visage, so that there was " no 
comeliness" and " no beauty," were beheld 
the withering power of sin upon the body, 
even of a sinless person, when that person 
stood in the sinner's place, and " the iniquity 
of us all" was " laid upon Him." "Thou 
art not yet fifty years old," l said the Jews 
on one occasion. The words read like a 
conjecture as to what was about His age. 
Not fifty ! No, He was little more than thirty 
yet ; but it was as though the overshadowing 
sorrow which He had come to endure had 
already enstamped upon His very form the 
characters of on-coming age. And so it is 
expressly said by the evangelist, that even 
while He went about doing good, the words 
of the prophet were receiving fulfilment : 
" Himself took our infirmities, and bare our 
sicknesses." 2 

The only additional fact of which we catch a 
glimpse is that Jesus had not the advantages 
of what was then accounted a superior edu- 

x John viii. 57. 2 Matt. viii. 17. 



36 Jesus of Nazareth. 

cation from the tuition of some distinguished 
teacher. Had His parents returned from 
Egypt to Bethlehem, He would most pro- 
bably have been placed by them under the 
tuition of some illustrious Rabbi. But the 
careful providence of God, for wise reasons, 
directed matters otherwise. It w r as no part 
of the Divine plan that Jesus should owe 
anything to the teachings of the learned 
among the Jews. Carried in His infancy to 
Nazareth, He abode there, and was reared to 
manhood with only those intellectual advan- 
tages which that place afforded. Still, His 
mental powers were wonderfully developed. 
By His intimate acquaintance with the Sacred 
Scriptures and comprehensive understanding 
of Divine truth, He amazed the people who 
heard His teaching. When He taught in the 
synagogue at Nazareth, the people "were 
astonished, and said, Whence hath this man 
this wisdom ? Is not this the carpenter's 
son ? Is not His mother called Mary ? " 
When He taught in the Temple, "the Jews 
marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man 
letters, having never learned ? " 1 

1 Matt. xiii. 54, 55 ; John vii. 15. 



II. 

THE SILENCE OF EIGHTEEN 
YEARS. 



CHAPTER II 



THE SILENCE OF EIGHTEEN YEARS. 




rom the transaction in the Temple, 
for full eighteen years, there is an 
unbroken silence. For this silence 
through the greater part of His youth and 
manhood no reason is recorded. This has 
sometimes perplexed devout Christians. 
They cannot understand why so large a por- 
tion of His life on earth should be wrapped 
in such perfect seclusion. It is in vain to 
allow the imagination to play around this sub- 
ject, and to suppose reasons, of the probability, 
much less the certainty, of which we can 
have no assurance. The only available light 
thrown upon these eighteen years is gathered 
from the incidental hints which crop out in 
the narrative of the evangelists, and, perhaps, 



40 Jesus of Nazareth. 

from the fact that Christ had come as the 
true High Priest, taken in connexion with 
the requirements of the law concerning priest- 
hood. True, He was not according to "the 
order of Aaron," nor "the law of a carnal 
commandment ; " and yet it is interesting to 
trace any parallels between His priestly 
office and that which of old had been or- 
dained by God. Now no priest could enter 
upon his office until he had reached his 
^thirtieth year. " From thirty years old and 
upward until fifty years old shalt thou number 
them." * In like manner our Lord refrained 
from entering upon His public ministry until 
He was thirty years old, remaining in Naza- 
reth, "subject to His parents." 

The Scriptures make no secret of the 
humble social position of Jesus. Joseph, 
the husband of Mary, was a working car- 
penter. He dwelt in the little village of 
Nazareth, so inconsiderable, at least — if of 
no worse reputation — as to be held in con- 
tempt, not only in Jerusalem, but also in 
the towns of Galilee. When Philip said 
unto Nathanael, " We have found Him, of 

1 Num. iv. 23. 



The Silence of Eighteen Years. 41 

whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, 
did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of 
Joseph," in amazement Nathanael imme- 
diately exclaimed, " Can any good thing 
come out of Nazareth ? " This was the place 
which lent its despised name to the scorn- 
ful title written upon His cross, "Jesus of 
Nazareth, the King of the Jews." This was 
the home of our Lord for all but about three 
years of His life. 

The humiliations and the burdens of 
poverty which Christ endured give to 
honest poverty a singular sacredness and 
dignity. The fact incidentally appears, 
that the larger portion of the life of Jesus 
was spent in humble manual labour. " Is 
not this the carpenter, the son of Mary?" 
Thus by His own example He proclaimed, 
with an emphasis which none other possibly 
could, the dignity of honest labour. Nay, 
more, with this He shows that honest hand- 
labour dignifies all those w T ho are faithful in 
the station in which Providence places them. 
The fact that Jesus of Nazareth was a work- 
ing carpenter till He was thirty years of age 
significantly rebukes all those who look down 



42 Jesus of Nazareth. 

with scorn and contempt upon the labouring 
man who honestly earns his bread, and thus 
supports his family. This Jesus, the work- 
ing carpenter, " thought it not robbery to 
be equal with God, took upon Him the form 
of a servant, humbled Himself, and became 
obedient unto death, even the death of the 
cross," that He might save even those who 
despise labour and the labourer. " For ye 
know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes 
He became poor, that ye through His poverty 
might be rich." 

" Thirty years, unknown, I trod 
Galilee's sequestered scd ; 
But My life was known to God. 

Daily work at Joseph's call, 
Daily life, with duties small, — 
Yet I was the Lord of all." 

The phrase " subject to them" is a clear 
indication that Jesus submitted Himself to the 
control of His parents, not only in the days of 
His helpless infancy, but through all His boy- 
hood and early manhood, up to the day when 
He entered upon the special work for which 
He became incarnate. By His prompt and 
cheerful obedience He would not only pro- 



The Silence of Eighteen Years. 43 

mote their temppral comfort, but secure their 
daily happiness. We have here a beautiful 
example of filial obedience, and the most 
impressive enforcement of this sacred duty. 
" Honour thy father and thy mother ; " " Ye 
shall fear every man his mother, and his 
father ; " " Honour thy father and thy mother, 
as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee." x 
Disobedience to parents is a sin which en- 
sures the Divine wrath. " Cursed be he that 
setteth light by his father or his mother." 2 
As the family is the foundation of all well- 
ordered civil society, and as obedience is the 
essential element of all peaceful government, 
the inspired apostle has made filial obedience 
a universal duty : " Children, obey your 
parents in the Lord : for this is right. Honour 
thy father and mother ; which is the first 
commandment with promise ; that it may be 
well with thee." " Children, obey your parents 
in all things : for this is well pleasing unto 
the Lord." 3 In this respect also we have 
the example of Jesus, enforced by another 

1 Exod. xx. 12 ; Lev. xix. 3 ; Deut. v. 1 6. 

2 Deut. xxvii. 16. 

3 Ephes. vi. 1, 2; Col. iii. 20. 



44 Jesus of Nazareth. 

apostle as the great rule of life : " Leaving 
us an example, that ye should follow His 
steps." x 

The Scriptures favour us with another 
instructive glimpse by which we learn more 
of the conduct of our Lord during those 
years over which the veil is so closely drawn. 
Immediately after His temptation " Jesus 
returned in the power of the Spirit into 
Galilee." " And He came to Nazareth, where 
He had been brought up: and, as His custom 
was, He went into the synagogue on the 
sabbath day, and stood up for to read." 2 

Mark the words, — " As His custom was." 
This incidental phrase carries our thoughts 
back into the years over which the veil is 
spread. During these years He was faith- 
ful in His attendance upon the public wor- 
ship of God. His youth and early man- 
hood were exemplary. As often as the 
Sabbath returned, and the doors of the syna- 
gogue were opened, Jesus w T as found in His 
place there. 

When advanced to maturity, according to 
the custom of the day, He would in His turn 

1 I Pet. ii. 21. a Luke iv. 14, 16. 



The Silence of Eighteen Years. 45 

" stand up for to read," and take part in the 
public service. On this particular occasion 
there was delivered to Him the book of the 
prophet Esaias, and when He had opened 
the book He found the place where it is 
written, " The Spirit of the Lord is upon 
Me." " " And He began to say unto them, 
This day is this scripture fulfilled in your 
ears." 2 

He who said unto John the Baptist, " It 
becometh us to fulfil all righteousness," was 
doubtless faultless, both in form and spirit, in 
His careful obedience to all the requirements 
of the law. The command was peremptory : 
" Three times in the year all thy males shall 
appear before the Lord God." 3 " Three 
times in a year shall all thy males appear 
before the Lord thy God in the place which 
He shall choose ; in the feast of unleavened 
bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the 
feast of tabernacles." 4 To rebuke the fear 
that, the land being thus left defenceless, their 
enemies would seek upon these occasions to 
despoil them, the Divine promise was given : 

1 Isa. lxi. 1-3. 2 Luke iv. 21. 

3 Exod. xxiii. 17. 4 Deut. xvi. 16. 



46 Jesus of Nazareth. 

" Neither shall any man desire thy land, when 
thou shalt go up to appear before the Lord 
thy God thrice in the year." x The people's 
confidence was fortified by the assurance that 
there was no danger of loss whilst cheerfully 
obeying the command to worship God. We 
can scarcely doubt that Jesus was obedient, 
and that He, unostentatiously, regularly 
appeared among the multitude with the 
appointed sacrificial offerings. A specific 
ordinance says, " They shall not appear 
before the Lord empty." 2 " And none shall 
appear before Me empty." 3 The requirement 
was, " An half shekel shall be the offering of 
the Lord. The rich shall not give more, and 
the poor shall not give less." 4 This tribute 
was the ransom of the soul. The amount 
raised was for the service of the Tabernacle. 5 
It was a memorial to make atonement. Thus 
benevolence and worship were united. In 
this our Lord failed not. The apostle Paul 
shows that in Christianity also, the union of 
benevolence and worship is obligatory. " Upon 
the first day of the week let every one of you 

1 Exod. xxxiv. 24. 2 Deut. xvi. 16. 3 Exod. xxiii. 15. 

4 Exod. xxx. 13, 15. 5 Exod. xxx. 16. 



The Silence of Eighteen Years. 47 

lay by him in store, as God hath prospered 
him, that there be no gatherings when I 
come." x 

The eighteen silent years, then, are not 
barren of instructiveness. They teach us, as 
nothing else can, the dignity of manual labour, 
the beauty and value of filial obedience, and 
the importance of regular attendance upon 
public worship, with readiness to bear our 
part in its maintenance by our contributions 
and personal service. To our Lord, in His 
human nature, these were years of disci- 
pline, obedience, and patient waiting. 

The first recorded public utterance of our 
Lord, when entering upon the veiled eighteen 
years, had been, " Wist ye not that I must be 
about My Father's business ? " 2 When He 
next appears, His language is, " It becometh 
us to fulfil all righteousness. " After He 
had entered upon His public ministry, He 
said, " I have a baptism to be baptized with." 
It was the baptism of blood. "And how 
am I straitened (pained) till it be accom- 
plished!" 3 On the mountain, when trans- 
figured, when "the fashion of His countenance 

x I Cor. xvi. 2. 2 Luke ii. 49. 3 Luke xii. 50. 



48 Jesus of Nazareth. 

was altered," " when Moses and Elias ap- 
peared in glory" and talked with Him, the 
absorbing topic of their discourse was " His 
decease, which He should accomplish at Jeru- 
salem." 1 Knowing that He came on earth 
to die upon the cross, "when the time was 
come that He should be received up, He 
stedfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem." 2 
These words and actions all show how earnest 
and intense was His desire, promptly, and 
with no delay, to do the will of His Father 
in heaven. They suggest, also, how severe 
was the strain upon His patience, and how 
exemplary and praiseworthy was His submis- 
sion during that larger portion of His earthly 
life which was shrouded in clouds and dark- 
ness. He served, by patient continuance in 
well-doing, in the position and under the cir- 
cumstances in which He was placed. In this 
all may follow Him. 

** Law and prophets to fulfil, 
Was My life devoted still; 
For I came to do His will. 

What that will the Scripture saith ; 

Thirty years of Nazareth, 

Three years' public work — then death." 

* Luke ix. 28-3 1. 8 Luke ix. 51. 



III. 

BAPTISM AND PRIESTHOOD. 



CHAPTER III. 



BAPTISM AND PRIESTHOOD. 




jiONNECTED with the baptism of Jesus 
is the strong preliminary testimony 
of John, the son of Zacharias and 
Elisabeth. His preaching and austere man- 
ner had attracted great multitudes. " And 
there went out unto him all the land of 
Judea, and they of Jerusalem, and were 
all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, 
confessing their sins." " And as the people 
were in expectation, and all men mused in 
their hearts of John, whether he were the 
Christ, or not ; John answered, saying unto 
them all, I indeed baptize you with water ; 
but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet 
of whose shoes 1 am not worthy to unloose : 
He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost 



52 Jesus of Nazareth. 

and with fire." * The meaning of John was, 
that this baptism would be unspeakably more 
efficacious than his own, in that the Christ 
would bestow the penetrating and searching 
power of the Holy Ghost. He may have had 
in mind the words of Malachi iii. 2, where 
the Messiah is compared to a " refiner's fire." 
— John further testifies that not only His 
baptism but His authority will be greater, 
for He will bring all men before His tribunal, 
to be awarded according to their deeds. 
" Whose fan is in His hand, and He will 
throughly purge His floor, and will gather 
the wheat into His garner ; but the chaff He 
will burn with fire unquenchable." 2 Whilst 
this was honourable testimony, it was also 
an argument, an intensely effective argument, 
to persuade men to repent. " Knowing there- 
fore the terror of the Lord, we persuade 
men." " The Jews sent priests and Levites 
from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou ?" 3 
This question virtually was, Art thou the 
Christ? John " confessed, and denied not; 
but confessed, I am not the Christ." " Art 

1 Luke iii. 15, 1 6. 2 Luke iii. 17. 

3 2 Cor. v. II ; John i. 19. 



Baptism and Priesthood. 53 

thou Elias ? And he saith, I am not. Art thou 
that Prophet?" — referring doubtless to the 
words of Moses, 1 " The Lord thy God will 
raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of 
thee, of thy brethren, like unto me ; unto him 
ye shall hearken," — " And he answered, No." 
Perplexed, but not satisfied, they earnestly 
said, " Who art thou ? " " What sayest thou 
of thyself ? " " I am the voice of one crying in 
the wilderness, Make straight the way of the 
Lord, as said the prophet Esaias." " The voice 
of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare 
ye the way of the Lord, make straight in 
the desert a highway for our God." As 
you desire an answer for those who sent you, 
tell them I am sent of God as the harbinger 
of the Messiah, whose character and office 
you will find described in the writings of the 
Prophet Isaiah. 

As it is the business of the forerunner 
of the Messiah to lead the people to Him, so 
" the next day John seeth Jesus coming 
unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of 
God, which taketh away the sin of the 
world. This is He of w T hom I said, After me 

x Deut. xviii. 15. 



54 Jesus of Nazareth. 

cometh a man which is preferred before 
me." " I knew Him not" when I first tes- 
tified concerning the Messiah, that He was 
soon to appear. I then only knew that by 
my mission and baptism " He should be made 
manifest to Israel ; therefore am I come 
baptizing with water." " But He that sent 
me to baptize with water, the same said 
unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the 
Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, 
the same is He which baptizeth with the 
Holy Ghost." And " I saw the Spirit de- 
scending from heaven like a dove, and it 
abode upon Him," and I bare record that this 
is the Son of God. " Again the next day 
after John stood, and two of his disciples ; 
and looking upon Jesus as He walked, he 
saith, Behold the Lamb of God ! " John saw 
and declared Jesus to be the innocent, pure 
victim, the sacrificial Lamb chosen of God, 
" the Lamb slain from the foundation of 
the world." When the two disciples heard 
him thus speak, " they followed Jesus." The 
name of Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, 
is given, whilst the characteristic modesty of 
the beloved disciple conceals his own. These 



Baptism and Priesthood. 55 

were the first two who openly followed 
Christ, and who were numbered among the 
apostles. 1 

AT THE RIVER JORDAN. 

By the law of Moses, it has already been 
stated, no priest could enter upon his public 
duties until he had reached the age of thirty. 2 
That same law required a washing, or bap- 
tism, as the symbol of purification. " And 
Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the 
door of the tabernacle of the congregation, 
and shalt wash them with water." 3 " And 
Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and 
washed them with water." 4 " And thus shalt 
thou do unto them, to cleanse them : Sprinkle 
water of purifying upon them." 5 There were 
among the Jews two kinds of baptism. One 
was that of the priests, as already stated. The 
other, which is not, however, expressly men- 
tioned in Scripture, was that of the heathen 

1 In order to have the unbroken testimony of John, I 
have not strictly followed the order of history. Some of the 
utterances quoted were made prior to and some after the 
baptism of our Lord. 

2 See p. 40. 3 Exod. xxix. 4 ; xl. 12. 
4 Lev. viii. 6. s Num. viiu 7. 



56 Jesus of Nazareth. 

when proselytised to the true religion. x 
Being familiar with this usage, no objection 
was made to the baptisms by John. The 
messengers from the Sanhedrim asked, 
" Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not 
that Christ, nor Elias, neither that Prophet ?" 
In this they asked for his authority, for it is 
said to have been a current opinion that all 
the Jews were to be baptized either by the 
Messiah or by some of His retinue. They 
thus understood the prophet, — " In that day 
there shall be a fountain opened to the house 
of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem 
for sin and for uncleanness." 2 This may ac- 
count for the fact that such vast multitudes 
crowded to the baptism of John, which was 
the baptism of repentance. 

Whilst John was at Bethabara, "the place 
of the ford," — a town on the east bank of the 
river Jordan, — Jesus "came from Galilee unto 
John, to be baptized of him." 3 Conscious of 
his own inferiority, John was forbidding 
Him, "saying, I have need to be baptized of 

1 The existence of this practice in New Testament times 
has been questioned. I regard the evidence in its favour as 
sufficient, for reasons which cannot be discussed within the 
limits of the present work. 

2 Zech. xiii. I. 3 Matt. iii. 13. 



Baptism and Priesthood. 57 

Thee, and comest Thou to me ? " The man 
who received confessions from others now 
makes confession to Jesus. Under a Divine 
impulse he recognised Jesus as the Messiah, 
and attempted to hinder Him. This convic- 
tion was afterwards confirmed to him by the 
visible descent of the Holy Spirit. " And 
Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be 
so now : for thus it becometh us to fulfil all 
righteousness." This reply is the second re- 
corded utterance of Jesus. It is not a confes- 
sion of penitence, as He was sinless. He does 
not say, " I have the same need as others to be 
baptized/' but, " Thus it becometh us to fulfil 
all righteousness. " As the law demands the 
baptism of the priest, so now I, entering 
upon that office, submit to the requirement. 
" Think not that I am come to destroy the 
law and the prophets ; I am not come to 
destroy, but to fulfil." The baptism of Christ 
being therefore an act of obedience to the 
letter and the spirit of the law, He urged it, 
and John no longer protesting, He was bap- 
tized, in the presence of a multitude of spec- 
tators. I enter not into the question of the 
mode, since that which all will admit was 



58 Jesus of Nazareth. 

infinitely superior immediately occurred — 
the baptism of the Holy Ghost. " And Jesus, 
when He was baptized, went up straightway 
out of the water; " " and praying," " lo, the 
heavens were opened unto Him, and he [JohnJ 
saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, 
and lighting upon Him. ,, This was a fit 
emblem of the gentle and peaceful character 
of Jesus and His mission. Luke says, "The 
Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like 
a dove upon Him." This may imply that 
a material symbol of the Spirit's presence 
had on this occasion the shape as well as the 
motion of a dove. Whether it is to be under- 
stood as referring to the shape, or to a dove-like 
radiance that hovered over him , or to the manner 
of a dove when alighting, are unsettled ques- 
tions. On the day of Pentecost we read that 
"there appeared unto them cloven tongues, 
like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them, 
and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost." 
That on the entrance of Christ on His mis- 
sion there was a special and marked manifes- 
tation of the Holy Ghost, is the all-important 
point. It is worthy of particular notice how 
continuously the Scriptures connect the Holy 



Baptism and Priesthood. 59 

Ghost with Christ personally. Of the Messiah 
it was predicted: " And there shall come forth 
a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch 
shall grow out of his roots : and the Spirit of 
the Lord shall rest upon Him." z " The Spirit 
of the Lord God is upon Me; because the Lord 
hath anointed Me to preach good tidings." 2 
In the synagogue at Nazareth, Christ read 
this latter passage, and said, " This day 
is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears." 3 
" And all bare Him witness, and wondered at 
the gracious words which proceeded out of His 
mouth." Immediately after the baptism it is 
written, " And Jesus being full of the Holy 
Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by 
the Spirit into the wilderness." Again, 
" And Jesus returned in the power of the 
Spirit into Galilee." Still further, " After 
that He through the Holy Ghost had given 
commandments unto the apostles whom He 
had chosen." 4 When Peter preached to the 
household gathering of Cornelius, he declared 
"how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with 
the Holy Ghost and with power." 5 Thus 

1 Isa. xi. 1, 2. 2 Isa. lxi. I. 

3 Luke iv. 21. 4 Luke iv. I, 14 ; Acts i. 2. 

5 Acts x. 38. 



60 Jesus of Nazareth. 

from the annunciation, " The Holy Ghost 
shall come upon thee, and the power of the 
Highest shall overshadow thee," until His 
whole earthly work was finished, our Lord, in 
His human nature, was filled with the Holy 
Ghost, and was always under His guidance 
and power. " Wherefore in all things it be- 
hoved Him tobe made like unto His brethren." 
From His own experience, knowing the in- 
dwelling blessedness of the Holy Spirit, He 
promised to His disciples, through all time, 
the energising power of the Holy Ghost. " I 
will not leave you comfortless." " I will pray 
the Father, and He shall give you another 
Comforter, that He may abide with you for 
ever; even the Spirit of Truth." " The 
Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom 
the Father will send in My name, He shall 
teach you all things." " He breathed on them, 
and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy 
Ghost." On the day of Pentecost " they 
were all filled with the Holy Ghost." "Then 
Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, spake 
before the rulers." The qualification of the 
seven deacons was that they were " full 
of the Holy Ghost." Of Stephen it is espe- 



Baptism and Priesthood. 61 

daily recorded that he was " a man full of 
faith and of the Holy Ghost. " The churches 
" walking in the fear of the Lord and in the 
comfort of the Holy Ghost were multiplied." 
Barnabas "was a good man, and full of the 
Holy Ghost and of faith, and much people 
was added unto the Lord." At Antioch "the 
disciples were filled with joy and with the 
Holy Ghost." 

The history of the church, as well as 
that of individual experience, teaches that 
only when they are " full of faith and of 
the Holy Ghost" they have joy and comfort, 
and are making progress in the Divine life, 
and successfully promoting the salvation of 
men. Being full of the Holy Ghost, they 
become like Christ. How appropriate for any 
Christian is the prayer of David : " Create in 
me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right 
spirit within me. Cast me not away from 
Thy presence; and take not Thy Holy Spirit 
from me. Restore unto me the joy of Thy 
salvation and uphold me with Thy free Spirit. 
Then will I teach transgressors Thy ways; 
and sinners shall be converted unto Thee." l 

1 Psa. li. 10-13. 



62 Jesus of Nazareth. 

When the heavens opened, and the Holy 
Ghost descended and lighted upon Jesus, 
" there came a voice from heaven, saying, 
This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well 
pleased. " What was this voice ? It was the 
voice of God the Father, loud and distinct ; — 
not to be mistaken for thunder, or the 
speech of an angel, as it was on a subsequent 
occasion. 1 It was so loud and peculiar as 
to be unlike the sighing of the wind or the 
inquiring voices of the multitude. It was 
clear and articulate, so that all who heard 
understood the utterance : " This is My be- 
loved Son, in whom I am well pleased." The 
Son of God was one of the titles of the Mes- 
siah, indicating His Divine nature. "The 
Lord Himself shall give you a sign : behold 
a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and 
shall call His name Immanuel," " which, 
being interpreted, is, God with us;" " there- 
fore that holy thing which shall be born of 
thee shall be called the Son of God." This 
testimony was repeated at the transfigura- 
tion, " This is My beloved Son, in whom I am 
well pleased ; hear ye Him." And again in 
a modified form in Jerusalem, " Then came 

1 John xii. 29. 



Baptism and Priesthood. 63 

there a voice from heaven, saying, I have 
both glorified it and will glorify it again." 
The High Priest said, "Art Thou the Christ, 
the Son of the Blessed ? i\nd Jesus said, 
I am." Then they charged Him with 
blasphemy. When Jesus claimed that God 
w 7 as His Father, "the Jews sought the more 
to kill Him, because He said that God was His 
Father, making Himself equal with God." 
He was " declared to be the Son of God with 
power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by 
the resurrection from the dead." 

At the baptism of Jesus, there was the clear 
manifestation of the Holy Trinity. Not, as 
some have taught, three offices of God; not, 
as others have taught, three powers, such 
as are seen in man — mind and heart and 
will ; but three distinct Persons : the Father, 
speaking from heaven ; the Son, standing 
in His incarnation on the bank of the river 
Jordan ; and the Holy Ghost, visibly lighting 
upon the Redeemer. This voice from heaven 
and this anointing with the Holy Ghost, are 
the grand distinguishing incidents of the 
baptism of Christ. 

This was more than baptism. It was the 
holy anointing of Jesus as the great High 



64 Jesus of Nazareth. 

Priest. Predicted by the prophets of the 
old economy, He came, and was thus pub- 
licly, with special Divine honours, inaugu- 
rated as the Apostle and High Priest of the 
new dispensation : " The Lord hath sworn, 
and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever 
after the order of Melchizedek." 1 "He 
shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule 
upon His throne; and He shall be a priest 
upon His throne. " 2 Prophecy declared that 
the priestly and the kingly offices should be 
united in Him ; a union not found in any 
Levitical High Priest. Prophecy forbade that 
His priesthood should be of the Aaronic 
order. It declared that it should be after 
the peculiar and unique order of Melchizedek. 
This Melchizedek was "king of Salem and 
priest of the most high God." 3 His priest- 
hood was not hereditary : " Without father, 
without mother, without descent, having 
neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but 
made like unto the Son of God ; [he] abideth 
a priest continually. " Thus emphatically is 
it stated that the priesthood of Melchizedek 
was unique and exceptional, that it had no 
1 Psa. ex. 4. * Zech. vi. 13. 3 Gen. xiv. 18 ; Heb. vii. 



Baptism and Priesthood. 65 

ancestry and no pedigree, that he neither re- 
ceived it from any ancestor nor transmitted 
it to any successor ; that in this respect he 
symbolised the Son of God, whose priesthood 
is not received by birth, or tribe, or trans- 
mitted by death, as was the Levitical. Thus 
in Christ the law of the descent from Aaron 
is set aside, because He comes of an order 
more ancient and honourable than that of 
Levi. 

The grand, distinctive, and glorious act 
of the priesthood of Jesus was the offering 
up of Himself as an atoning sacrifice, thus 
fulfilling and authenticating all the sacrifices 
by blood of the earlier dispensation. " I lay 
down My life for the sheep. " " I lay down My 
life, that I might take it again. No man 
taketh it from Me, but I lay it down of 
Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I 
have power to take it again." 1 When He 
had finished the last passover, as the Priest 
of the new dispensation, He " took bread, 
and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to 
the disciples, and said, Take, eat ; this is My 
body. And He took the cup, and gave thanks, 

'John x. 15, 17, 18. 
6 



66 Jesus of Nazareth. 

and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of 
it ; for this is My blood of the new testament, 
which is shed for many for the remission 
of sins." x " Whoso eateth My flesh, and 
drinketh My blood, hath eternal life ; and I 
will raise him up at the last day." 2 

During His public ministry He gave proof 
of His priesthood as no Aaronic priest could 
possibly do. In His own name, and by His 
personal power, He forgave sin. " And, be- 
hold, men brought in a bed a man which 
was taken with a palsy. . . . When He saw 
their faith, He said unto him, Man, thy 
sins are forgiven thee. And the scribes and 
the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who 
is this which speaketh blasphemies ? Who 
can forgive sins, but God alone ? But when 
Jesus perceived their thoughts/' He gave 
ocular miraculous demonstration of His 
priestly power to forgive sin : " He answering 
said unto them, What reason ye in your 
hearts ? Whether it is easier, to say, Thy 
sins be forgiven thee ; or to say, Rise up and 
walk? But that ye may know that the Son 
of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, 

1 Matt. xxvi. 26-28. * John vi. 54. 



Baptism and Priesthood. 67 

(He said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say 
unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, 
and go into thine house. And immediately 
he rose up before them, and took up that 
whereon he lay, and departed to his own 
house, glorifying God." 1 

The triumphant confidence which we may 
repose in Him is thus set forth, "He is able to 
save them to the uttermost that come unto 
God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make 
intercession for them. For such an high priest 
became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, 
separate from sinners, and made higher than 
the heavens ; who needeth not daily, as those 
high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for His 
own sins, and then for the people's : for this 
He did once, when He offered up Himself. 
For the law maketh men high priests which 
have infirmity ; but the word of the oath, 
which was since the law, maketh the Son, 
who is consecrated (perfected) for evermore. " 
" We have such an high priest, who is set on 
the right hand of the throne of the Majesty 
in the heavens ; a minister of the sanctuary, 
and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord 
"Luke v. 1S-25. 



68 Jesus of Nazareth. 

pitched, and not man." " But Christ being 
come an high priest of good things to come, 
by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not 
made with hands, that is to say, not of this 
building ; neither by the blood of goats and 
calves, but by His own blood He entered in 
once into the holy place, having obtained 
eternal redemption for us." 

Thus harmonious is the revelation ; the 
arguments of the apostle illustrating the 
record of the evangelist. The baptism of 
Jesus was no solitary fact in His history, nor 
did it rank with that of the multitudes who 
"were baptized by John in Jordan." There was 
a meaning in His submission to the ordinance 
— though John himself knew it not — impres- 
sive and unique. It was the response of the 
Son to the call of the Father. " Lo I come, 
to do Thy will, O God ! " It was the earthly 
symbol, at the very commencement of His 
ministry, of His dedication to that office 
which, by self-sacrifice and heavenly inter- 
cession, He should carry on until He "shall 
see of the travail of His soul, and shall be 
satisfied." The Son, the only High Priest of 
the new covenant, is " consecrated for ever* 
more." 



IV. 

THE TEMPTATION. 



CHAPTER IV. 




THE TEMPTATION. 

he facts of this momentous transaction 
are few, and are clearly stated. Still, 
there are connected with it deep and 
grave mysteries, which perhaps no finite 
mind can ever solve. As no disciples had yet 
been called, and as the record tells of no one 
accompanying Christ, it is evident that the 
narrative of the evangelists must have been 
communicated by the Lord. The statement 
by Mark is very brief, though comprehensive ; 
whilst Matthew and Luke enter fully into 
details, agreeing as to all the facts, but dif- 
fering as to the historic order of the tempta- 
tions. We may not be able to apprehend 
all the considerations which account for and 
explain this scene in the wilderness. Some 



72 Jesus of Nazareth. 

are obvious on the face of the record, and 
others are to be gathered from subsequent 
statements on the inspired page. 

Mark says: " Immediately " (after His bap- 
tism) " the Spirit driveth Him into the wilder- 
ness. " Matthew says : " He was led up of 
the Spirit into the wilderness. " Luke says : 
" Jesus, being full of the Holy Ghost, was led 
by the Spirit into the wilderness." All agree 
that it was in obedience to a strong Divine 
impulse that our Lord went into the wilder- 
ness. Had He gone there only for devout 
meditation and prayer, preparatory to enter- 
ing upon His public ministry, all would be 
plain ; but when it is added, " to be tempted 
by the devil, " anxious questions force them- 
selves to the front. Why does the Holy 
Spirit lead Him to be tempted, when the Lord 
has taught us to pray, " Lead us not into 
temptation ? " Why, when the Holy Ghost 
had descended upon Him with anointing 
power, is He subjected to so fearful and 
protracted an ordeal ? 

It was said to the serpent who deceived 
Eve, " I will put enmity between thee and 
the woman, and between thy seed and her 



The Temptation. 73 

seed ; it shall bruise thy head." x The time 
had come for this conflict, and Jesus, the seed 
of the woman, meets that " old serpent the 
devil," and vanquishes him, thus fulfilling 
the prediction, " It shall bruise thy head." 

The true meaning of the word rendered 
" tempt " is, to try, or put to the proof. It 
does not necessarily imply an evil intention. 
When it is said, " God did tempt Abraham," 2 
it obviously means simply that God put his 
faith and obedience to proof or trial. The 
character of the temptation is always deter- 
mined by the character of the being who 
brings the trial. God, being holy and good, 
tries His creatures, not to seduce them from 
virtue, but to prove them. Therefore it is 
written, " Let no man say when he is tempted, 

I am tempted of God : for God cannot be 
tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any 
man : but every man is tempted, when he is 
drawn away of his own lust, and enticed." 3 
Here the word " tempt" isused in its bad sense, 
meaning to seduce to sin, and not in the sense 
of a trial of the character. Hence it is added, 

II Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth 

* Gen. iii» 15. 8 Gen. xxii. I. 3 James i. 13, 14. 



74 Jesus of Nazareth. 

forth sin : and sin, when it is finished, bringeth 
forth death. " But Satan, being unholy and 
malignant, tempts men with an evil purpose 
and design. God placed our first parents 
under the prohibition of the fruit of a single 
tree, to try their obedience. Satan came into 
the garden, and tempted them to disobedience 
and sin. The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the 
wilderness to be tried or proved. Satan came 
there to tempt, to seduce, him to sin. 

This scene in the wilderness was not 
Christ's first temptation. As the Lord, in 
His human nature, had all the appetites and 
sources of temptation, bodily and mental, 
as other men, He was constantly tempted 
through youth and manhood, up to the time 
of His baptism. He was tempted by subjec- 
tion to authority, by poverty, by the vicissi- 
tudes of labour, by ridicule, by the rebukes 
which His purity gave to others, by the ma- 
ligning of His motives, by acts of unkindness, 
and numberless other ways by which the 
tempter sought to betray Him into unholy 
anger, or hasty utterances, or murmuring 
discontent, or in some way to betray Him into 
sin. The eye of the tempter was never 



The Temptation. 75 

removed from Him. From the attempt on 
His life through Herod, every step, every act, 
every moment, was watched with intensest 
interest, if, by any means, the devil could 
entangle Him in his meshes. Through all 
these years, the great majority of His life, 
He baffled all the wiles of the adversary. 

In the trial in the wilderness some things 
are clearly illustrated. 

1. As Jesus was tempted in the same line 
more severely and more extensively than 
was Adam, it demonstrates that there was 
no necessity for Adam, created " in the 
image of God," intelligent and holy, to sin. 
It proves that, as a free moral agent, he had 
the power to obey or disobey ; and in his 
disobedience his sin was voluntary and in- 
excusable. 

2. His example of successful resistance to 
temptation should be a strong encourage- 
ment to all His followers to stand firm against 
all the assaults of the adversary. The 
Captain of our salvation being made perfect 
(complete) " through sufferings, " z and having 
Himself undergone all the hardships of His 

1 Heb. ii. 10. 



7 6 Jesus of Nazareth. 

service, no follower could complain of the 
trials to which he is subjected, as these trials 
are disciplinary and strengthening, and are 
far less than those Christ endured. Christ 
having endured poverty and reproach, the 
assaults of sensual pleasure, and every 
variety of temptation, His disciples may not 
only expect the same, but, through His grace, 
may hope to conquer. 

3. He was tempted, that He might become 
a true and merciful High Priest. " Wherefore 
in all things it behoved Him to be made like 
unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful 
and faithful high priest in things pertaining 
to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of 
the people. For in that He Himself hath 
suffered, being tempted, He is able to succour 
them that are tempted." 1 "For we have 
not an high priest which cannot be touched 
with the feeling of our infirmities ; but was 
in all points tempted like as we are, yet with- 
out sin." 2 " God is faithful, who will not 
suffer you to be tempted above that ye are 
able ; but will with the temptation also 
make a way to escape, that ye may be able 

1 Heb. ii. 17, 18. 8 Heb. iv. 15. 



The Temptation. 77 

to bear it." x " My grace is sufficient for 
thee : for My strength is made perfect in 
weakness." 2 

Temptation, if resisted, does no man 
any harm. Nay, it does him positive good. 
It strengthens right principles, and elevates 
him to a higher plane of moral excellence. 
" My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall 
into divers temptations " (trials, proofs) ; 
"knowing this, that the trying of your faith 
worketh patience. But let patience have 
her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and 
entire, wanting nothing. . . . Blessed is the 
man that endureth temptation : for when he 
is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, 
which the Lord hath promised to them that 
love Him." 3 "Be of good cheer; I have 
overcome the world." 4 

Temptation or trial is a necessity for 
all free, moral, and accountable beings, 
in order to develop and determine their 
character. The angels were put on proba- 
tion. Some rebelled, and developed a per- 
manent evil character. Those who stood 

x I Cor. x. 13. 2 2 Cor. xii. 9. 

3 James i. 2-4, 12. 4 John xvi. 33. 



78 Jesus of Nazareth. 

firm attained and maintained a higher per- 
manent character of holiness. 

The power to obey carries with it the 
power to disobey. As the Lord Jesus had 
a perfect human nature in all' its bodily, 
mental, and moral faculties, He was subject, 
as were other men, to the laws of man's 
corporeal, mental, and moral nature. 

Our Lord's human soul, though free from 
any tendency to evil, still was accessible to 
temptation from without. Whilst He could 
say "the prince of this world cometh, and 
hath nothing in Me," the tempter did come 
and plied his arts with persevering determi- 
nation. Though tempted, and capable in 
His human nature of disobeying, He went 
through His ordeal without sin. It was 
morally certain that He w 7 ould not sin. It 
is one thing to be tempted, and another to 
fall. " Though He were a Son, yet learned He 
obedience by the things which He suffered ; 
and being made perfect, He became the author 
of eternal salvation unto all them that obey 
Him." 

1 Heb. v. 8, 9. 



The Temptation. 79 

THE WILDERNESS. 

The place of the temptation was " the 
wilderness. " Mark adds, He " was with 
the wild beasts." It is not a matter of im- 
portance accurately to know the precise loca- 
tion of this wilderness. Some have sup- 
posed, from the brief description given of the 
scene, and from the quotations by our Lord 
from the Book of Deuteronomy, 1 that the 
wilderness was that in which Israel had wan- 
dered for forty years — some part of the great 
Sinaitic desert ; but the prevailing opinion is 
that the place was not far from the eastern 
bank of the Jordan, and near the Dead Sea. 
Maundrell, in his Travels, thus describes this 
region : " It is a miserable and horrid place, 
consisting of high barren mountains, so that 
it looks as if nature had suffered some violent 
convulsions there." Into this desolate region 
Jesus entered alone. He had no social in- 
fluence or support. Here He abode, " being 
forty days tempted of the devil." Of the 
nature of these temptations thus pertina- 
ciously continued we have no record. They 

* Deut. viii. 3 ; vi. 16 ; vi. 13 ; the three Scripture passages 
by which the three assaults of the tempter were repelled. 



80 Jesus of Nazareth. 

were such doubtless as were deeply felt by 
our Lord. " For," says Luther, " unless the 
tempting impression be felt, there is no real 
temptation." Though we cannot form any 
idea of the kind and variety of these long- 
continued trials, we can, with adoring grati- 
tude, cherish the fact that in no one instance 
did the tempter gain the advantage. Jesus, 
with invincible resolution, stood firm. He 
grappled with the powers of the invisible 
world, and was the sinless victor. For, unless 
the temptation is acquiesced in, or yielded 
to, there is no sin. 

THE FAST. 

" When He had fasted forty days." " In 
those days He did eat nothing." Of Moses 
we read that on two occasions he fasted forty 
days and forty nights. The former was when 
he received the Law on Sinai. "I was gone 
up into the mount to receive the tables of 
stone, even the tables of the covenant which 
the Lord made with you, then I abode in 
the mount forty days and forty nights, I 
neither did eat bread nor drink water." x The 
latter occasion was when he interceded for 

x Deut. ix. 9. 



The Temptation. 81 

Israel, when they rebelled against the com- 
mandment of the Lord : " I fell down before 
the Lord forty days and forty nights, as I 
fell down at the first ; because the Lord said 
He would destroy you." * " And I stayed in 
the mount, according to the first time, forty 
days and forty nights ; and the Lord heark- 
ened unto me at that time." 2 Thus, as the 
promulgator of the law, and the prevailing 
intercessor for his people, he was eminently 
the type of Christ. 

We also read that Elijah, who was the 
type of Christ's forerunner, " arose, and did 
eat and drink, and went in the strength of 
that meat forty days and forty nights." 3 In 
these cases the miraculous power of God was 
exercised to keep His servants alive. Of our 
Lord it is said, " He did eat nothing." When 
persons are under high excitement they are, 
during the continuance of that excitement, 
hardly conscious of the cravings of hunger. 
Whether the mind thus excited so acts 
upon the stomach as, for the time being, to 
suspend its operations, or the mind is so in- 
tensified as to be unconscious of the pains of 

1 Deut. ix. 25. 8 Deut. x. 10. 3 I Kings xix. 8. 

7 



82 Jesus of Nazareth. 

hunger, we know not. But of this there is 
no doubt : such a state of things, according 
to the laws of our being, could only continue 
for a very limited time. The long fast of 
our Lord can only be accounted for by the 
miraculous interposition, not of His own 
Divine power, but that of His Father. This 
does not militate against the fact that Christ, 
during His earthly abode, wrought no miracle 
for His own personal comfort. 

THE TEMPTER. 

As the time of trial drew to a close, the 
tempter comes more into the foreground. 
Various have been the theories advocated in 
relation to this whole transaction, and es- 
pecially as to the appearance of Satan. 
Some maintain that there was no personal 
appearance, and that the narrative is only 
that of a vision. Kitto, in his Cyclopaedia, re- 
marks "that the accounts given by the evan- 
gelists convey no intimation that they refer 
to a vision ; that the feeling of hunger could 
not have been ideal ; that a vision of forty 
days' continuance is incredible ; that Moses, 
who was a type of Christ, saw no vision, and 



The Temptation. 83 

that hence it may be concluded Christ did 
not ; that it is highly probable there would 
be a personal conflict between Christ and 
Satan when the former entered upon His 
ministry.'' We learn from Jude that Michael 
the archangel contended with the devil. 
This was personal, and not a vision. To cast 
himself down, in a vision, from the pinnacle 
of the Temple could have been no temptation, 
and could have no influence upon those in the 
courts below. The most probable opinion, we 
think, is, that a living personal devil did ap- 
pear, and made his assaults upon our Lord. 

This, we believe, is the legitimate teaching 
of the Scriptures. They represent Satan as 
a fallen spirit, perhaps an archangel, ruined : 
a being of immense mental force and activity, 
and of deep,, settled, determined malignity. 
To him they ascribe great control ; subordi- 
nating natural agencies to his service : " The 
prince of the power of the air." z " The 
prince of this world." 2 They call him 
" Beelzebub, the prince of the devils." 3 
" The chief of the devils." 4 Being their 

1 Ephes. ii. 2. 2 John xii. 31. 

3 Matt. xii. 24. 4 Luke xi. 15. 



84 Jesus of Nazareth. 

leader, he controls an immense number of 
other fallen spirits, who are obedient to his 
will. He is not omnipresent, but he stations 
in every part of the world these, his faithful 
servants, so that they may study human 
nature in all its various phases, and adapt 
their temptations accordingly, and thus carry 
out his malign purposes. His existence is 
recognised, not in one book and by one writer 
only of the Scriptures, but by many writers, 
who lived in different countries, and under 
diverse circumstances and at distant periods 
from each other. " Every quality, every action 
which can indicate personality, is attributed 
to him in language which cannot be explained 
away." The inspired writers give to him names 
and titles which appropriately belong only to 
a person, a living responsible being. The 
character which they assign to him can only 
belong to a person. " The devil sinneth 
from the beginning." ■ " He was a murderer 
from the beginning, and abode not in the 
truth, because there is no truth in him. 
When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his 
own : for he is a liar, and the father of it." 2 
1 J ohn iii. 8. 2 John viii. 44. 



The Temptation. 85 

HIS AGENCY. 

He has great knowledge of human nature, 
which he has studied for thousands of years, 
under all its possible varieties. He thus 
has the power of knowing every man's 
weak point, whether of lust, or avarice, or 
pleasure, or pride. He presents to human 
appetites and passions their special objects 
in such vivid and captivating forms as to 
excite them, and, through them, to get the 
consent of the will. " Every man is tempted, 
when he is drawn away of his own lust, and 
enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it 
bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, 
bringeth forth death." ■ The methods he 
uses are called fiery darts, depths, devices, 
wiles, and a deceivableness of unrighteous- 
ness. At times he comes " like a roaring 
lion, seeking whom he may devour," thus 
appealing to the fears of men. But oftener 
his approaches are more quiet, stealthy, and 
seductive. His presence is not suspected, 
and his wiles are not detected until the 
victim falls into " the snare of the devil," 
and is "taken captive by him at his will." 2 

1 James i. 14, 15. 
2 2 Tim. ii. 26 ; according to the ordinary interpretation. 



86 Jesus of Nazareth. 

" I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent 
beguiled Eve through his r subtilty, so your 

minds should be corrupted from the sim- 
plicity that is in Christ. . . . And no mar- 
vel ; for Satan himself is transformed into an 
angel of light." J 

Satanic influence is spoken of in the Scrip- 
tures in the strongest terms as a reality, 
to continue until the final judgment. 

The question most practical, and of deepest 
concern to us, is this: Has Satan direct 
access to the human mind ? From the way 
in which some Christians speak, — " The 
devil put that into my mind; " " I was led 
by the devil;" "Satan controlled me;" ' ; Satan 
has entered into me;" — they seem to throw 
the blame for their evil thoughts, and conse- 
quent actions, on Satan, and at least evade the 
acknowledgment of their own sin. This is 
neither fair nor safe. Some passages, no 
doubt, appear to favour the theory that Satan 
has direct access to the mind, and can either 
produce evil thoughts and decisions or pre- 
vent the good. It is written, " Then cometh 
the wicked one, and catcheth away that which 
1 2 Cor. xi. 3, 14. 



The Temptation. 87 

was sown in his heart." z " Then entered Satan 
into Judas surnamed Iscariot. ,, " After the 
sop Satan entered into him." 2 But Christ 
had previously said, " Have not I chosen you 
twelve, and one of you is a devil ? " 3 Christ 
knew that the heart of Judas was evil, and in 
sympathy with Satan. " An evil man out of 
the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things." 4 
" For out of the heart of men proceed evil 
thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 
thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, las- 
civiousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, 
foolishness ; all these evil things come from 
within." 5 The passages which seem to teach 
that Satan has direct access to the mind, and 
may originate wicked devices, must be so 
understood as to harmonise with other pas- 
sages which show that he approaches and 
operates through external instrumentalities. 
Satan understood Judas well. He knew his 
revengeful temper and the avarice of his 
heart, and plied these with the temptation 
suited to the man and the occasion ; thus, 
it may be said, entering into him. He de- 

1 Matt. xiii. 19. 2 Luke xxii. 3 ; John xiii. 27. 

3 John vi. 70. * Matt. xii. 35. s Mark vii. 21-23. 



88 Jesus of Nazareth. 

sired to have Peter, that he might sift him 
" as wheat. " But the Lord said, "I have 
prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not." 1 
Judas was left to the workings of his own 
evil heart, and Satan had power over him. 
But Peter was guarded, and was held by the 
prayers of his Lord. 

MENTAL LAW r S. 

There are laws of the mind, not clearly 
understood by all, which may explain what 
many regard as direct satanic suggestions. 

When in the closet praying, a single word 
may, by the law of association, arouse the 
memory of wicked words uttered or heard in 
days of impenitence, but which now agitate 
the soul and destroy its peace. You find 
that when again praying, at the set period, 
the same evil suggestions recur. This same 
law associates them with this place and time. 
Change the place and the time, and you break 
the force of this law. Your pastor, on the 
Sabbath, quotes a text, and this law of asso- 
ciation brings to mind some ribald use made 
of this passage by an evil companion, whose 

1 Luke xxii. 31, 32. 



The Temptation. 89 

wit you once laughed at ; but now it troubles 
you. Some object strikes your eye, whilst 
walking and devoutly meditating ; it quickens 
into life some long-forgotten evil practice 
and overwhelms you with desperate memo- 
ries. It was not necessarily Satan, but only 
the law of association, ever active, which 
thus filled your mind so inopportunely with 
troublesome evil thoughts. If these are 
instantly resisted and repelled, they do you 
no harm ; but if ever so slightly cherished, 
they leave the stain of sin. 

Imagination is a power through which 
Satan acts with great success. Through 
evil-minded men he has subordinated the 
fine arts, — statuary, painting, and music, — as 
well as literature, in some of its most refined 
as well as its grosser forms, to his own pur- 
poses. Fashions in female attire have been, 
and in some quarters still are, another 
potent agency. He so uses all these and 
similar things, that through the imagina- 
tion he fires the passions, and seduces into 
sinful thoughts and desires, if not to guilty 
conduct. 

Even in the conduct of religious services, 



go Jesus of Nazareth. 

by scenic representations, splendid robes, and 
captivating forms, through the imagination 
emotions are awakened which the unwary 
mistake for religion, whilst there is no peni- 
tence for and forsaking of sin; no sense of 
guilt and need of pardon; no true spiritual 
worship. Thus he deludes multitudes with 
the assurance that they are truly pious. 

Curiosity is also a power by which Satan 
leads men on step by step from that which 
is proper to that which excites and inflames 
the passions and pollutes, until the barriers 
of virtue are broken down, and by " giving 
heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of 
demons" the unwary are ruined. 1 

We know that one bad man has a strange 
influence over others. This influence is felt 
when not a word is spoken. A look will 
excite. But without a look it is felt. Simply 
his presence does the work. There is a sym- 
pathy of evil. So Satan has this power in a 
greater degree of awakening sympathetic 
thought. For there is evil in every heart, 
evil to which he can appeal. " Keep thy 

1 Is there not an explanation here of much which in modern 
times goes by the name of "spiritualism " ? 



The Temptation. 91 

heart with all diligence ; for out of it are the 
issues of life.'' 

There are no intimations in the Bible 
that the holy angels, who rejoice over the 
repentance of sinners, and who are minister- 
ing spirits to the heirs of salvation, have 
direct access to the mind, or that they sug- 
gest good thoughts. We know that it is the 
Holy Spirit who thus acts. If God has not 
given direct access to the mind to the good 
angels, much less would he give it to malig- 
nant beings bent upon the ruin of souls. 
This prerogative belongs only to the Omni- 
scient One. " I the Lord search the heart, 
I try the reins." x " The Lord looketh on 
the heart." 2 " The Lord searcheth all hearts, 
and understandeth all the imaginations of 
the thoughts." 3 " I am He which searcheth 
the reins and hearts." 4 

The question about demoniacal possession 
I do not here discuss, as this was a pecu- 
liarity of that day. Then, as Christ had 
come to destroy the works of the devil, Satan 
seems to have been permitted to manifest 

1 Jer. xvii. 10. * 1 Sam. xvi. 7. 

3 I Chron. xxviii. 9. 4 Rev. ii. 23. 



92 Jesus of Nazareth. 

his wrath, and to afflict the bodies of men in 
addition to his usual methods. 

OLD TESTAMENT INSTANCES. 

A careful examination of the typical Old 
Testament cases of satanic temptation will 
demonstrate that the tempter reaches the 
mind from without, through the animal appe- 
tites and mental aspirations. 

In the case of our first parents, we are told 
that, "When the woman saw that the tree 
was good for food [lust of the flesh], and that 
it was pleasant to the eyes [the lust of the 
eyes], and a tree to be desired to make one 
wise [the pride of life], she took of the fruit 
thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto 
her husband with her, and he did eat." ■ 
The temptation was from without. It was 
through the senses that he reached her mind. 
" The woman said, The serpent beguiled me." 
The inspired comment is, "Adam was not 
deceived, but the woman being deceived was 
in the transgression." 2 

In the temptation of the patriarch Job, so 
varied and continued, it is especially remark- 

1 Gen. iii. 6. 2 I Tim. ii. 14. 



The Temptation. 93 

able that no evidence of direct spiritual action 
upon the mind is attributed to Satan. To 
him were permitted extraordinary powers, 
even to personal afflictions; still, his whole 
work on Job, so far as the record goes, was 
from without. Through outward circum- 
stances he strove to break down the faith 
and " endurance " of the patriarch, and so 
to prove that his religion was mercenary. 

It can scarcely be doubted that as with 
our first parents and with Job, so with Jesus, 
the tempter made the senses the medium of 
assault. It is quite true that there is a mys- 
tery here, arising from Christ's Divine per- 
sonality. Satan, before his rebellion, and 
when loyal, must have had knowledge of the 
Son, the second Person of the sacred Trinity, 
and worshipped Him. He would also know 
from the Scriptures that the Son was to be- 
come incarnate, and, as the Messiah, to 
introduce the redemptive scheme. He would 
know, from the prophecies and the peculiar 
facts attending the birth of Jesus, that the 
predicted time of deliverance had come. 

Yet his malignant nature inspired him with 
the desperate purpose of seducing Him, by 



94 Jesus of Nazareth. 

appeals to His human appetites and aspira- 
tions into one sin— only one. For this 
would prevent the making of an atonement, 
and would secure the ruin of all men. He 
had ruined the first Adam by his appeal to 
the "lust of the flesh," the "lust of the 
eyes," and the "pride of life." So he hoped 
also to prevail with the second Adam. 

THE FIRST TRIAL. 

The temptation of Christ was eminently a 
representative instance. Not that His and our 
temptations are the same. Far from it. Satan 
found in Him not only a sinless being, but 
one having no tendency to sin ; while we are 
actual sinners, with an evil heart. But His 
trial shows from whence is our danger : 
for, as his assaults were from without, and 
directed to His bodily appetite and pains, so 
these are the avenues through w r hich Satan 
will try to seduce us to sin. Thus are we 
forewarned, and admonished most vigilantly 
to guard these gates of entrance, " lest 
Satan should get an advantage of us ; for 
we are not ignorant of his devices." 

" He was afterward an hungred ; " " He 



The Temptation. 95 

afterward hungred." The tempter under- 
stood the situation, and vainly thought him- 
self to be the master of the occasion. " He 
said unto Him, If thou be the Son of God, 
command that these stones be made bread. " 
" The angel in the annunciation said that 
Thou shouldest ' be called the Son of God.' 
John the Baptist has pointed Thee out as ' The 
Lamb of God.' And at Thy baptism the 
voice from heaven said, ' My beloved Son.' 
Now is a fit occasion to settle all doubts. 
If indeed Thou art the Son of God, prove 
Thy Divinity by this miracle : ' command 
that these stones be made bread,' and at 
once supply the wants of Thy nature, ex- 
hausted by so long a fast." Specious and 
seductive reasoning! But the Lord under- 
stood that a compliance would be an act of 
unbelief and want of confidence in His Father, 
who had sustained His animal life during 
the long fast in which " He ate nothing." 
He appealed to the Scriptures as the only 
infallible guide, and said, " It is written, man 
shall not live by bread alone, but by every 
word that proceedeth out of the mouth of 
God." Jesus believed the truth, and was 



g6 jfesus of Nazareth. 

resolute in His trust in God, and thus rejected 
the temptation. 

THE SECOND TRIAL. 

Having failed in his first attempt, with 
persevering malignity Satan tries another 
expedient. €i Then the devil taketh Him 
up into the holy city." There are various 
theories as to the method by which the 
tempter accomplished this. Some make it a 
flight through the air. Benson, in his Life of 
Christ, and Doddridge, in his Harmony, say, 
" The devil took our Lord about with him as 
one person takes another to different places. 
' Taketh Him along with him ' is the exact 
English of the Greek." They suppose that 
Satan appeared in a human form, and 
personated an honest inquirer for the truth, 
desiring to have proof that He was the 
Messiah. Archbishop Seeker says, " Cer- 
tainly he did not appear what he was, for that 
would have frustrated his intent." Chandler 
also says: " The devil appeared not as him- 
self, for that would have frustrated the effect 
of his temptation." He thinks he appeared 
" as a good man." 



The Temptation. 97 

Whatever was his appearance, and how he 
accomplished the transit to Jerusalem, the 
fact remains ; it was for the purpose of a 
specific temptation : " And setteth Him on a 
pinnacle of the temple," rather, "on the battle- 
ment. " As in Palestine the roofs of the houses 
were flat, the law required " thou shalt make 
a battlement for thy roof, that thou bring not 
blood upon thine house, if any man fall from 
thence." 1 The Temple proper, called Naos, 
in which were the Holy Place and the Holy of 
Holies, was a comparatively small building; 
but around were massive and lofty cloisters, 
with battlements on the outer edges of the 
roofs. It was on one of these that Jesus 
stood, probably on that around the men's 
court, in which great numbers of the Jews 
daily assembled. The place and time were 
well chosen for a demonstration of the Divine 
power. " And saith unto Him, If Thou be the 
Son of God, cast Thyself down." " Look 
below : there the multitude are anxiously 
discussing the prophecies concerning the 
Messiah, and wondering whether this Jesus 
of Nazareth is the promised One. Solve all 

1 Deut. xxii. 8. 
8 



98 Jesus of Nazareth. 

their doubts by this one act : ' Cast Thyself 
down.' ,: Here is an appeal, not so much to 
the lower appetites, as to the nobler elements 
ofour nature. " Cast Thyself down." "Do not 
hesitate, for there can be no possible personal 
danger ; 'For it is written, He shall give His 
angels charge concerning Thee [over Thee, 
to keep Thee], and in their hands they shall 
bear Thee up, lest at any time Thou dash 
Thy foot against a stone.' Now prove Thy- 
self to be the Son of God. When from this 
height Thou lightest unharmed upon the pave- 
ment below, they will see that Thou art under 
the special care of God. They will with 
one accord acknowledge that Thou comest 
with a Divine commission. The work of con- 
vincing the rulers will be ended, and they 
will announce Thee as their expected Messiah. 
' Cast Thyself down,' therefore, for the 
angels are vigilant and at hand." To this 
urgent, special pleading, "Jesus said unto 
him, It is written again, Thou shalt not 
tempt the Lord thy God." Says Canon 
Farrar : " Thou shalt not, as it were, presume 
on all that He can do for Thee ; Thou shalt 
not claim His miraculous intervention to save 



The Temptation* 99 

Thee from Thine own presumption and folly ; 
Thou shalt not challenge His power to the 
proof." Had the devil, with power superior 
to mere human strength, cast Him over the 
battlement, such an appeal would have in- 
volved no presumption on the part of Christ, 
and God might then properly, by ministering 
angels or otherwise, interpose for His safety. 
In such a case, the tempter knew, there would 
be no sin. "Jesus said unto him, It is 
written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord 
thy God." The immediate application, doubt- 
less, was to Himself as forbidding Him to com- 
ply with the temptation. But perhaps, also, 
personal application to the devil is admissible. 
As though Christ had said, " You professedly 
desire proof that I am the Son of God; I tell 
you that I am, and it is forbidden in the same 
scriptures to ' tempt the Lord thy God.' " 

THE THIRD TRIAL. 

Though thwarted and sternly rebuked, 
Satan does not give up. His determination 
is invigorated by his malignant hatred. Like 
the desperate gambler, he resolves to stake 
all upon a last throw. He gathers up all his 



ioo Jesus of Nazareth. 

forces, and offers a splendid bribe for one, 
only one act, — the reverential acknowledg- 
ment of his authority. He makes his appeal 
to ambition, the love of power and distinc- 
tion, to the pleasures and gratification which 
extended rule and authority give. With only 
one of these seductions he had bound many 
millions. Who can stand before their united 
force ? " He taketh Him up into an exceed- 
ing high mountain, 1 and showeth Him all the 

1 ' ' What mountain this was, " says the Annotated Para- 
graph Bible, " cannot be determined. From many elevations 
the kingdoms, or tetrarchies, of Palestine could be seen at once. 
The more distant regions, and empires of the world, might 
be suggested by the tempter." The original Greek word 
ior "show" means "to make known, to declare, to an- 
nounce," as in Matt. xvi. 21 : "From that time forth 
began Jesus to show unto His disciples, how that He must go 
unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief 
priests," etc. Here "show " is, to make known, to declare, not 
by vision or by actual sight, but by His word. With the 
same use of the Greek word which our Lord employed when 
foretelling to His disciples the events which would occur 
when He should enter Jerusalem, we may understand that 
the devil declared to Him that all the kingdoms of the world, 
with their glory, he would give to Him for one single act of 
homage. It is as though he said, " I am the acknowledged 
god ot this world, for it has been given unto me. Now, the 
whole 1 will give and surrender to Thy absolute control, on 
the easy condition of one act of homage." This interpretation 
relieves the passage of the difficulty of seeming to suggest the 
geographical impossibility of seeing all the kingdoms of the 
world from any mountain elevation. Some of the Greek 
poets have the same use of the original word. 



The Temptation. 101 

kingdoms of this world, and the glory of 
them ; and saith unto Him, All these things 
will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and 
worship me." Stop, bold usurper ! These 
are not thine ! When you were a bright, 
loyal spirit before the throne, you knew that 
"the Word was with God, and the Word 
was God," that " all things were made by 
Him ; and without Him was not any thing 
made that was made ;"* " For by Him were 
all things created, that are in heaven, and 
that are in earth, visible and invisible, 
whether they be thrones, or dominions, or 
principalities, or powers : all things were 
created by Him, and for Him." 2 Creation is 
the highest possible proof of ownership. 
Christ has never parted with His right. 
How unblushing is the impudent effrontery 
of the devil! He promises to give unto 
Christ that which already belongs to Him, 
and asks in return the homage which is due 
to no creature, but to God only. Driven from 
this claim of original ownership, he says: 
" ' It is delivered unto me, and to whom- 
soever I will I give it,' for I am ' the god of 

'John i. i, 3. 2 Col. i. 16. 



102 Jesus of Nazareth. 

this world.' As such I make this offer. 
I know that Thou art the Messiah, the Son 
of God, and that ultimately Thou wilt 
triumph and possess all. But I am in pos- 
session, and it will be long years of desperate 
conflict before the victory is gained. All 

I ask is to treat me as a* sovereign, and 
make me but one act of reverential obeisance 
— just one act of worship. With that I 
will be content, and will retire, and give 
Thee and Thine no more trouble. " — What- 
ever may have been the guise the tempter 
had assumed, the insulted Jesus stripped it 
off and revealed his true character. " Then 
saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan." 

II Get thee behind Me, Satan." " Satan"— 
then He spoke to a person, not to an imagi- 
nation, not to a vision. " Get thee hence, 
Satan, for it is written, Thou shalt worship 
the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou 
serve." * How exactly correspondent were the 
temptations of the first and of the second 
Adam ! In each the appeal was to " the lust 
of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the 
pride of life." These had power with our first 

1 Deut. vi. 13. 



The Temptation. 103 

parents, but failed utterly and signally with 
Christ. Such, as the apostle John teaches, are 
the sources of temptation m all the ages. 1 
" And when the devil had ended all the temp- 
tation, he departed from Him for a season." 
Not for any long season, for His life was one 
continued temptation. The tempter was 
always present, with his diversified agencies. 
Follow up our blessed Lord, and you will 
know how He was tempted by the scribes 
and Pharisees and Herodians, in the almost 
countless methods by which they tried to en- 
trap Him in His speech and conduct. He was 
tempted, sorely tempted, in the betrayal by 
one of His disciples, the denying Him by 
another, the forsaking Him by all. " The 
Prince of this world," He said, " is come!" 
Jesus was tempted by His seizure in the 
garden, by His examination before Annas, 
and by His unjust smiting there. He was 
tempted before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrim, 
when they " spit in His face, and buffeted 
Him, and blindfolded Him, and smote Him." 
He was tempted before Pilate, when the 
chief priests falsely accused Him. He was 

1 I John ii. 16. 



104 Jesus of Nazareth. 

tempted before Herod, who, with his men 
of war, set Him at nought and mocked, 
arraying Him in a gorgeous robe. He was 
tempted when His own nation rejected Him 
and chose Barabbas ; when the whole band 
stripped Him, and, in mock royalty, clothed 
Him with purple, with a wreath of thorns 
for a crown, and a reed for a sceptre ; when 
they smote and spit upon him ; — tempted 
when Pilate scourged Him, and delivered 
Him, though innocent, to be crucified. 
These, all these, were trials — nay, every one 
a trial intensely severe. Yet He bore them 
all, and never, in action, word, or thought, 
sinned. From His birth to His death the 
tempter had Him under vigilant survey, and 
never lost an opportunity. Glorious Victor ! 
through this whole life of temptation Thou 
wast tempted as no man ever was, yet with- 
out sin ; and Thou hast sympathy for Thy 
tempted ones. 

There remains one beautiful incident. 
" Angels came and ministered unto Him." 
They brought Him what He then most 
needed. This was food to nourish His body 
and strengthen Him after Kis long fast and 



The Temptation, 105 

sore ordeal. The Greek word is the same with 
that which expresses the office of a deacon. 
These angels brought food and served 
at table. Well might the Psalmist sing, 
"The Lord is my shepherd: I shall not 
want ; " " Thou preparest a table before me 
in the presence of mine enemies." 

WARNING AND HOPE. 

The Scriptures abound in the most urgent 
warnings against the devices of the adver- 
sary. Yet, whilst they tell us that he is a 
mighcy and skilful adversary, they comfort us 
with the assurance that he is not invincible. 
The example of Christ's temptations cheers us 
with the hope that, as His assaults were from 
without, we may, by prayerful watchfulness, 
escape the snares of the devil, and he get no 
advantage of us. The assurance is, " Resist 
the devil, and he will flee from you." 1 " Be 
sober, be vigilant ; because your adversary 
the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, 
seeking whom he may devour : whom resist 
stedfast in the faith.'' 2 " Neither give place 
to the devil." 3 The apostle exhorts, " Be 

1 James iv. 7. 2 I Peter v. 8, 9. 3 Ephes. iv. 27, 



106 Jesus of Nazareth. 

strong in the Lord, and in the power of His 
might. " To this end he says, " Put on the 
whole armour of God, that ye may be able 
to stand against the wiles of the devil." 
Why is this Divine panoply needed ? Because 
"we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but 
against principalities, against powers, against 
the rulers of the darkness of this world, 
against spiritual wickedness in high places." 
Such being the vantage ground of the adver- 
sary, Paul renews his urgency : " Wherefore 
take unto you the whole armour of God, that 
ye may be able to withstand in the evil day ; 
and, having done all, to stand." He illus- 
trates his meaning by giving a spiritual turn 
to the Roman defensive armour: "Stand, 
therefore, having your loins girt about with 
truth, and having on the breastplate of 
righteousness ; and your feet shod with the 
preparation of the gospel of peace ; above [or 
over] all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith 
ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts 
of the wicked ; and take the helmet of salva- 
tion, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the 
Word of God." With all this panoply cover- 
ing the body we are not safe, if we rely upon 



The Temptation. 107 

our own strength. Hence it is added, " Pray- 
ing always with all prayer and supplication 
in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with 
all perseverance." * So taught our Lord, 
" Watch and pray, that ye enter not into 
temptation. " 2 If we watch and do not pray, 
the tempter will prevail. If we pray and 
do not watch, the adversary will find an 
entrance. But if we both pray and watch, 
then our souls are guarded as by the cherubim 
at the garden of Eden, with a flaming sword, 
which turned every way. It is worthy of 
particular notice that all the armour is 
defensive, to repel assaults from without ; 
and that the command is, " Having done all, 
to stand," facing the foe. There was no 
armour for the back. If we turn from facing 
the adversary, or attempt to flee, we are 
exposed to his fiery darts, with no shield to 
receive and quench them. Courage is indis- 
pensable. " Having done all, to stand." 

The truth — the revealed truth of God — is 
the only infallible and invincible weapon. 
It was with this the Lord repelled the as- 
saults of and vanquished the tempter, the 
1 Ephes. vi. 13-18. a Matt. xxvi. 41. 



108 Jesus of Nazareth. 

father of lies. " For the word of God is 
quick and powerful, and sharper than any 
two-edged sword, piercing even to the divid- 
ing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the 
joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the 
thoughts and intents of the heart." * The 
prophet, when he spake God's words, said, 
"He hath made my mouth like a sharp 
sword." The apostle said, " The weapons 
of our warfare are not carnal." Because 
they are not carnal, but spiritual, they have 
life and power ; are " mighty through God 
to the pulling down of strongholds ; " " cast- 
ing down imaginations, and every high thing 
that exalteth itself against the knowledge of 
God, and bringing into captivity every thought 
to the obedience of Christ." 2 Thus, with 
watchfulness and prayer, with faith and 
courage, and the word of Christ dwelling in 
us richly, we shall be kept from falling, and 
an entrance shall be ministered unto us 
abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of 
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

1 Ileb. iv. 12. 2 2 Cor. x. 4, 5. 



V. 

THE TRANSFIGURATION. 




CHAPTER V. 

THE TRANSFIGURATION. 

fountains stand out prominentlyin the 
Scriptures as the placeswhere import- 
ant events have occurred. Abraham 
was to offer Isaac for a burnt offering upon 
one of the mountains of Moriah. The law was 
proclaimed from Sinai. Moses died upon Nebo. 
It was upon Mount Carmel that fire came 
down from heaven — consumed the offering, 
the stones of the altar, "and licked up the 
water that was in the trench. " z It was upon 
"an exceeding high mountain'* that Christ was 
tempted of the devil. And now upon a "high 
mountain " the transfiguration, the most 
wonderful manifestation of the Divine glory 

1 I Kings xviii. 38. 



H2 Jesus of Nazareth. 

in Christ, took place. Tradition for centuries 
fixed upon Mount Tabor as the sacred eleva- 
tion. More careful examination of the nar- 
rative, with its connections, makes it plain 
that Tabor could not have been the moun- 
tain. The probabilities strongly settle upon 
Mount Hermon, which has an elevation of 
about ten thousand feet, and perfectly meets 
the designation " high mountain," while the 
transfiguration itself justifies the apostle 
Peter in calling it " the holy mountain.'' 

" He took Peter and John and James, 
and went up into a mountain to pray." x 
It was, probably, in the early evening that 
He ascended. Only three of His disciples 
accompanied Him. Two of these He had 
called " sons of thunder," and the third " the 
man of rock." The avowed purpose of this 
seclusion was to pray. This was the habit 
of our Lord. "And when He had sent the 
multitudes away, He wentupinto a mountain 
apart to pray." 2 " And it came to pass in 
those days, that He went out into a mountain 
to pray, and continued all night in prayer." 3 

1 Luke ix. 28. 2 Matt. xiv. 23. 3 Luke vi. 12. 



The Transfiguration. 113 

" Night is the time to pray : 

The Saviour oft withdrew 
To distant mountains far away ; 

So should His followers do : — 
Steal from the throng to haunts untrod, 

And hold communion there with God." 

"As He prayed, the fashion of His counten- 
ance was altered, " x He " was transfigured be- 
fore them: and His face did shine as the sun." 2 
He was transformed, not in shape, but in the 
glory of His appearance. The word implies 
that a transformation took place in the sub- 
stance of His body. This the apostle inti- 
mates : " Who shall change our vile body, 
that it maybe fashioned like unto His glorious 
body." 3 " It doth not yet appear what we 
shall be : but we know that, when He shall 
appear, we shall be like Him." 4 " And His 
raiment was white and glistering;" 5 "was 
white as the light ; " 6 " exceeding white as 
snow ; so as no fuller on earth can white 
them." 7 He was "enwrapped in an aureole 
of glistering brilliance." The brightness 
which radiated from His person and garments 
is described by the most intense comparisons 

1 Luke ix. 29. 2 Matt. xvii. 2. 3 Phil. hi. 21. 

* I John iii. 2. 5 Luke ix. 29. 6 Matt, xvii 2. 

1 Mark ix. 3. 
Q 



H4 Jesus of Nazareth. 

known to men. But that glory of His Divinity, 
which transcended all these intensely brilliant 
demonstrations, could not be described. 

" And, behold, there talked with Him two 
men, which were Moses and Elias : who 
appeared in glory, and spake of His decease 
which He should accomplish at Jerusalem." 1 
They were two men, not angels, who now 
appeared. The one was Moses, the giver of 
the law and founder of the Jewish polity, and 
of supreme authority among the people of 
Israel. The other was Elijah, the most 
zealous reformer and prophet of the Jewish 
Church. Their presence at this time clearly 
attested that the ministry of Christ was the 
fulfilment of the law and the prophets. As they 
appeared there in glory, bright and heavenly, 
yet inferior to the " glory which excelleth," 
they witnessed that Christ was greater than 
they. They " appeared in glory," that is, 
not in fleshly, but glorified spiritual bodies. 
Moses was commanded to go alone up to the 
top of Nebo, and die there. Though most 
diligent search was made, " no man knoweth 
his sepulchre." Elijah went up in a whirl- 

1 Luke ix. 30, 31. 



The Transfiguration. 115 

wind and chariot of fire to heaven. As flesh 
and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, 
it is scriptural to believe that these worthies 
were translated, and in the transition received 
their spiritual bodies. " It is sown in dis- 
honour ; it is raised in glory : ... it is sown 
a natural body ; it is raised a spiritual body. 
There is a natural body, and there is a 
spiritual body." * 

The one absorbing topic of their discourse 
was "His decease, which He should accom- 
plish at Jerusalem." Their whole thought 
was intensely fixed upon the death of Christ as 
an atoning sacrifice. Hence we find that the 
transfiguration was expressly connected with 
the time when our Lord took His disciples 
apart to the regions of Csesarea Philippi, near 
the foot of Hermon, to speak to them of His 
approaching death. And by the symbol of 
the holy mount Christ shows, that for Him not 
to die "for sin" would vitiate the prophecies, 
would be the failure of the plan of redemp- 
tion, would extinguish every hope of salvation, 
and would cast over all people the gloom and 
the impenetrable dark horrors of despair. 

1 I Cor. xv. 43, 44. 



n6 Jesus of Nazareth. 

Upon this death the confidence of Moses 
and Elijah, and of all the redeemed then in 
heaven, rested for their perfect and eternal 
salvation. In this death all the principalities 
and powers in the heavenly places were 
deeply interested. No other topic was so 
momentous. It filled the hearts of the glori- 
fied ones, and until it was accomplished it 
burdened the heart of our blessed Redeemer. 
" I have a baptism to be baptized wdth, and 
how am I straitened until it be accom- 
plished ! " 

It may seem strange that Peter and they 
that were with him were " heavy with sleep. " 
Yet, as the Lord had not given them to expect 
anything extraordinary in this visit to the 
mountain, they might have supposed that, as 
at other times, Jesus came to spend the night 
in prayer. Being worn out by the duties of 
the day and the fatigues of the ascent, they 
yielded to the impulse of wearied nature. 
Christ did not reprove them for sleeping in 
the night, the appointed time for sleep. Being 
asleep they did not see the beginning of the 
transfiguration — the change from the well- 
known aspect of His human body to that 



The Transfiguration. 117 

Divine effulgence which threw into shadow 
the brightest shining of the sun. They lost 
a part, at least, of the conversation between 
those glorified saints and the Son of God. 
They heard enough, however, to know what 
the topic was, and to have their own hearts 
filled with a heavenly felicity. " And when 
they were awake, they saw His glory, and the 
two men that stood with Him." * When the 
heavenly visitors were departing, Peter said, 
" Master, it is good for us to be here," and 
proposed the making of " three tabernacles ; 
one for Thee, and one for Moses, and one for 
Elias : not knowing what he said." The 
suddenness of the awaking, the intense 
brilliancy of the scene, amazed him, so that 
whilst his heart rejoiced his mind was con- 
fused, for " they were sore afraid." Had he 
heard all the conversation, he would more 
perfectly have understood the necessity of 
Christ's dying at Jerusalem, and would not 
have proposed a permanent abode for Him 
on Mount Hermon. 

" While he thus spake, there came a cloud " 
- — a bright cloud, " and overshadowed them: 
Luke ix. 32. 



n8 Jesus of Nazareth. 

and they feared as they entered into the 
cloud." 1 No wonder that they feared ! — this 
was new and strange experience. The cloud 
was not that of thick darkness that en- 
shrouded Sinai, but a bright cloud — the 
symbol of the Divine presence — brighter far 
than the Shekinah radiance in the Temple. It 
was not simply beheld, but it enfolded them, 
enveloped them as in the very embrace of 
God. " And there came a voice out of the 
cloud," loud, distinct, penetrating, — " This 
is My beloved Son: hear Him." 2 These 
words being uttered as Moses and Elijah 
were departing, declared that the promised 
Messiah, the Prophet like unto Moses and 
superior to Elijah, had come, and that hence- 
forth to Him, the Son of God, all men must 
listen, as He is the Prophet, the Priest, and 
the King of the new dispensation. " When 
the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, 
and were sore afraid." 3 Human nature 
could not bear up under such close and 
overwhelming manifestations of the Divine 
presence. When Abraham had an interview 
with God, " an horror of great darkness fell 

1 Luke ix. 34. ■ Luke ix. 35. 3 Matt. xvii. 6. 



The Transfiguration. 119 

upon him." z And John says, When I saw 
" one like unto the Son of man," " I fell at 
His feet as dead." 2 How long the glorifi- 
cation of Jesus continued it were vain to 
inquire, nor do we know how long the dis- 
ciples remained prostrate, chilled, and trem- 
bling with fear. We do know that " Jesus 
came and touched them, and said, Arise, and 
be not afraid. And when they had lifted 
up their eyes, they saw 7 no man, save Jesus 
only." 3 The grandeur and the glory had 
departed, and Jesus was as aforetime. " And 
as they came down from the mountain, He 
charged them that they should tell no man, 
... till the Son of man were risen from the 
dead." "And they kept it close, and told no 
man in those days any of those things which 
they had seen." After the resurrection and 
ascension, Peter, one of the witnesses, in his 
Second Epistle, that he might confirm the 
faith of those to whom he wrote, says : " For 
we have not followed cunningly devised fables, 
when we made known unto you the power 
and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but 
w r ere eye-witnesses of His majesty. For He 

1 Gen. xv. 12. 2 Rev. i. 17. 3 Matt. xvii. 7, 8. 



120 Jesus of Nazareth. 

received from God the Father honour and 
glory, when there came such a voice to Him 
from the excellent glory, This is My beloved 
Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this 
voice which came from heaven we heard, 
when we were with Him in the holy mount. " * 
How strongly does this whole scene im- 
press the conviction that the old and the new 
dispensation are in perfect harmony with 
each other, and that the new is the fulfilment 
and perfection of the old ! As no shining 
glory emanated from Moses and Elijah, and 
as the voice spake to Jesus only, the new 
dispensation rises above and supersedes the 
past. " When the voice was past, Jesus was 
found alone." How cheering to the hearts of 
the disciples was this transient glimpse of the 
glory which awaited their Lord when His 
work on earth should be done ! How calcu- 
lated to strengthen and comfort their hearts 
when overborne by persecution to know that 
the cause would ultimately triumph, and that 
Jesus would reign supreme, having universal 

dominion ! 

* 2 Pet. i. 16-18. 



VI. 

THE MEMORIAL SUPPER. 




CHAPTER VI. 

THE MEMORIAL SUPPER. 

|n all ages memorial structures have 
been erected. They have stood to 
perpetuate the memory of some per- 
son or event, or as the witness of a cove- 
nant. At first they were simple piles of 
stones, as when Jacob and Laban " took 
stones and made a heap," and " Laban 
said, This heap is a witness between me 
and thee this day. Therefore was the name 
of it called. . . . Mizpah." I So when the 
children of Israel crossed the Jordan, Joshua 
commanded them to take twelve stones 
out of the midst of Jordan, and with them 
he erected a memorial to perpetuate in Israel 
the memory of the miraculous crossing of 

1 Gen. xxxi. 48, 49. 



124 Jesus of Nazareth. 

the river. As civilisation advanced, these 
structures became more permanent and or- 
nate. Generally they were erected by a 
grateful or admiring posterity, as an expres- 
sion of their estimate of the person or event. 
Hence have arisen triumphal arches and lofty 
pillars, equestrian and other statues, monu- 
ments and other memorial devices. Where 
these are prepared by the living to perpetuate 
their own memory, or placed by survivors in 
some cathedral, or other receptacle of the 
dead, the monument will be grand and im- 
posing, according to the wealth and greatness 
of the person commemorated. The services 
of the most eminent artists are put in re- 
quisition. The most durable materials are 
employed — marble, granite, gold and silver, 
bronze, or brass. But they crumble by the 
tooth of time. They are broken and over- 
thrown by herds of Vandals and the ravages 
of war. They are destroyed by fire and 
earthquake. Those that remain are visited 
by the traveller, but call forth neither love 
nor friendship. They awaken only admira- 
tion, curiosity, or faint remembrances of the 
person or the event. 



The Memorial Supper. 125 

In what striking contrast is the memorial 
supper ! " When the hour was come, He sat 
down, and the twelve apostles with Him. 
And He said unto them, With desire I have 
desired to eat this passover with you before 
I suffer." * They knew what He meant by 
the words "before I suffer." On His last 
journey from Galilee to Jerusalem He " took 
the twelve disciples apart in the way, and 
said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jeru- 
salem ; and the Son of man shall be betrayed 
unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, 
and they shall condemn Him to death, and 
shall deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock, 
and to scourge, and to crucify Him." 2 Again, 
" Ye know that after two days is the feast of 
the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed 
to be crucified." 3 How impressive His 
words, " For I say unto you, I will not any 
more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the 
kingdom of God." 4 " I will not drigk hence- 
forth of this fruit of the vine, until that day 
when I drink it new with you in My Father's 
kingdom." 5 Knowing, with perfect assur- 

1 Luke xxii. 14, 15. 2 Matt. xx. 17-19. 3 Matt. xxvi. 2. 
4 Luke xxii. 16. s Matt. xxvi. 29 



126 Jesus of Nazareth. 

ance, that His death was near, that it would 
be the death of a malefactor and a slave, the 
most ignominious then known, He commanded 
and provided that the fact that He thus died 
should be remembered to the end of time. 
To secure its perpetuation, He erected His 
own memorial. " He took bread, and gave 
thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them," 
His disciples, " saying, This is My body which 
is given for you : this do in remembrance of 
Me. Likewise also the cup . . . saying, This 
cup is the new testament in My blood, 
which is shed for you," 1 "For as often 
as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye 
do show the Lord's death till He come." 2 

Herein, then, lies the difference between 
Christ's own memorials and the monuments 
generally reared by men. These are struc- 
tures; that was a simple act. The acts, how- 
ever simple, of which the reason and the 
motive abide, are calculated to remain in 
their freshness, unimpaired by age. No age 
withers them, no custom deadens their inte- 
rest. It is true that an action which has 
lost its significance naturally dies out. Some 

1 Luke xxii. 19, 20. 2 1 Cor. xi. 26. 



The Memorial Supper. 127 

popular usages to this day retain a fast- 
vanishing hold upon the community, or have 
become ludicrous, because unmeaning. But 
the motives which lead us to break the bread 
and drink the wine are as freshly felt to-day 
as when the Master first said, " Do this in 
remembrance of Me." A monument, again, 
can occupy but one place. Pilgrims may 
travel far to visit it ; but their view is tran- 
sient, and to the greater number of men it 
remains unseen. This memorial of Christ 
the Saviour is for all parts of the world alike. 
It belongs to the universal church, and 
wherever there are the " many members " of 
the " one body" its significance and tender- 
ness are felt. Where is the nation, where 
the community, that knows not the use of 
bread and wine ? In all lands the force of 
the Master's appeal is felt, and in the north 
and the south, the east and the west, the 
redeemed family partake together of the 
supper of the Lord. 

Was ever, then, such memorial raised to 
perpetuate the memory of such an igno- 
minious death ? Were ever such frail and 
perishable materials employed for purposes 



128 Jesus of Nazareth. 

so lasting ? Whilst the massive monuments 
built, in His day, of the most enduring 
materials, have passed away, this endures. 
After sixty generations it is fresh and quicken- 
ing as ever, awakening and intensifying love. 
These simple elements, the bread and the 
fruit of the vine, form the material for ever- 
lasting remembrance. They remain, when 
stone and metal crumble into dust and perish. 
This ever-present memorial lifts the wor- 
shipper high above the ignominy of the death, 
to the glorious atoning sacrifice, to the blood 
shed for the salvation of men. So it can 
never perish. For as long as men dwell upon 
the earth they will eat of the bread and drink 
of the cup which symbolised the death of 
Jesus as the atoning Saviour and their only 
hope for salvation. Keeping the feast with 
loving hearts, each generation will hand it 
down to the one that follows, until the grand 
consummation, when all will be gathered to 
one communion, and drink of the fruit of the 
vine new and personally with the Mediatorial 
King in His glory in His Father's kingdom. 



VII. 
GETHSEMANB. 



CHAPTER VII. 



GETHSEMANE. 



pHis was a garden situated between 
the brook Kidron and the foot of 
Mount Olivet, about half a mile from 
the city wall. The probability is that, in the 
time of our Lord, it was an olive plantation, 
as the name Gethsemane signifies an " oil 
press." 

In this garden, to which Christ frequently 
resorted, occurred one of the most wonderful, 
soul-stirring, and benevolent scenes in the 
whole life of the Redeemer. When the 
supper, the memorial of His coming death, 
was ended, they sang a hymn, knowing that 
the hour of His suffering was at hand. 
Jesus came with His disciples to a place 
called Gethsemane, and saith to them, " Sit 
ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And 



132 Jesus of Nazareth. 

He took with Him Peter and the two sons 
of Zebedee," (John and James), the three 
witnesses of His transfiguration, " and began 
to be sorrowful, and very heavy," "sore 
amazed." Leaving the three " He went a 
little farther," " about a stone's cast, and 
kneeled down, and prayed, saying, Father, 
if Thou be willing, remove this cup from 
Me : nevertheless, not My will, but Thine, 
be done." 1 

What was this cup, thus referred to ? In 
the Scriptures the term is often used figura- 
tively, signifying great affliction, signal judg- 
ments; as " Upon the wicked He shall rain 
snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible 
tempest : this shall be the portion of 
their cup." 2 " Awake, awake, stand up, 
O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand 
of the Lord the cup of His fury ; thou hast 
drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, 
and wrung them out." 3 " In the hand of 
the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red ; 
it is full of mixture ; and He poureth out of 
the same : but the dregs thereof, all the 

x Matt. xxvi. 36 ; Mark xiv. 33 ; Luke xxii. 41. 
2 Psa. xi. 6. 3 i sa . ij. I7 . 



Gethsetnane. 133 

wicked of the earth shall wring them out, 
and drink them." z The term " cup " is also 
often used in the Scriptures to denote intense 
suffering, whether bodily or mental, the 
greatest which human nature can endure. 
He looked into the cup which was prepared 
for Him to drink. He saw, as no one but 
He could see, the deep unutterable sorrows, 
the soul -crushing agonies that were in that 
cup. He saw there the enormous guilt of 
the whole world. He knew the intensity of 
its bitterness and woes. He saw sin in its 
virulence of malignity. He saw the terrible- 
ness of its damnation, rolling on through 
eternal ages with accumulating fierceness 
and terror. He knew what must be if He 
drank this cup. He knew that it was the 
will of His Father that He should drink it. 
He knew that He had come to drink it. 
When He contemplated it from the distance, 
He said, " Now is My soul troubled ; and 
what shall I say ? Father, save Me from 
this hour: but for this cause came I unto 
this hour. Father, glorify Thy name." 2 Now 
when the hour had come, and the cup was 

x Psa. lxxv. 8. a John xii. 27. 28. 



134 Jesus of Nazareth. 

no longer contemplated but actual, and to be 
drunk, and drunk at that time, His human 
nature, shuddering, quailed. He was op- 
pressed with grief; His soul was over- 
whelmed with deadly anguish ; a grief and 
anguish intense enough to kill the body. 
Then His soul was " exceeding sorrowful 
even unto death ;" then He fell upon His 
face and prayed, " O my Father, if it be 
possible let this cup pass from Me ; neverthe- 
less not as I will, but as Thou wilt." Thus 
a second time His labouring, sorrowing soul 
poured out His anguish in holy submission : 
" O my Father, if this cup may not pass 
except I drink it, Thy will be done." When 
there was no lighting up of the intense 
anguish, no uplifting of the mighty pressure 
of a world's guilt and ruin, a third time He 
uttered the same prayer of acquiescing sub- 
missive suffering. It was no ordinary grief, 
no ordinary conflict with the malign 
" powers of darkness," "the rulers of the 
darkness of this world," no ordinary up- 
heaving of the soul that drew forth this 
thrice - repeated piteous prayer ; for " His 
sweat was as it were great drops of blood 



Gethsernane. 135 

falling down to the ground." Oh, what an 
hour of grinding sorrow ! He pre-eminently 
was " a man of sorrows, and acquainted 
with grief. " 

What mean these dread upheavals of His 
sorrowful soul — these mental blood agonies 
which so crushed His humanity ? They were 
the fulfilment, in part, of the most severely 
graphic of all the prophetic sufferings of the 
promised Messiah : " Stricken, smitten of 
God, and afflicted." 1 The innocent one 
suffering for the guilty; the just one suffer- 
ing for the unjust ! " Surely He hath borne 
our griefs, and carried our sorrows." " He 
was wounded for our trangressions, He was 
bruised for our iniquities." " Was bruised," 
literally, was crushed. No stronger word can 
be found in all the Hebrew language to 
denote the severity of suffering, suffering 
unto the extinction of life. To this intense 
prediction of the prophet is the answering 
record of the evangelist : " My soul is exceed- 
ing sorroyvful, even unto death." 2 " Being 
in an agony He prayed more earnestly : 
and His sweat was as it w T ere great drops of 

1 Isa. liii. 4. 2 Matt. xxvi. 38. 



136 Jesus of Nazareth. 

blood. " x In the garden "it pleased the 
Lord to bruise Him; He put Him to grief;" 
" His soul was made an offering for sin," 
then He had travail — sore " travail of soul." 
Here, in these sufferings, not of the body, 
but mainly of the soul, not for Himself, but 
for others, is wrought out the grand central 
essential truth of the Christian system, the 
expiation of human guilt by the vicarious 
sufferings of our Lord. " Whom God hath 
set forth to be a propitiation through faith in 
His blood, to declare His righteousness for the 
remission of sins that are past." 2 " He is the 
propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, 
but also for the sins of the whole world." 3 

1 Luke xxii. 44. Some understand ' ' great drops of blood " 
as figurative, as those who weep bitterly are said to weep tears 
of blood. Others, with the support of a fact well authenticated, 
hold that the sweat of our Lord was actually so mixed with 
blood, that its colour and consistency were as if it had been wholly 
of blood. The probability of this view is sustained by the 
statement that Charles IX. of France died of a malady in which 
his blood gushed out of the pores of his body. Voltaire, 
in his Universal History, thus describes it : " Charles IX. 
died in his five and twentieth year. The malady he died of 
was very extraordinary. The blood gushed out of all his pores. 
This accident, of which there are some instances, was owing 
either to excessive fear, to violent passion, or to a warm 
melancholy constitution." 

3 Rom. iii. 25. 3 1 John ii. 2. 



Gethsemane. 137 

" Herein is love, not that we loved God, but 
that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the 
propitiation for our sins." 1 

In the prophecy of Isaiah, so minutely 
literal as to be aknost historic, words of 
intensity follow words of increasing strength 
and weight to express the greatness and 
severity of the sufferings, as well as their 
vicarious character. " The chastisement of our 
peace was upon Him : and with His stripes 
we are healed." Severely crushing as were 
the chastisement and the stripes, He could 
not die there and then. The cross was not 
yet. It was on the cross He must die, and 
only on the cross could He say, " The sacrifi- 
cial work, the travail of My soul, the offering 
up of My soul for sin, is finished." 

The Scriptures record no sufferings of S 
Christ like those He endured in the garden. 
On the cross He breathed not a word of 
sorrow for bodily pain. " About the ninth hour 
Jesus cried with a loud voice . . . My God, 
My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me ?" This 
was soul-agony : " Jesus, when He had cried 
again with a loud voice, yielded up the 

1 1 John iv. 10. 



138 Jesus of Nazareth. 

ghost." 1 This, perhaps, was the keenest 
and most withering of all His agonies. It 
filled up to the full the offering of His soul 
for sin. It was the last great painful anguish 
of His wearisome travail which, whilst it 
crushed out His human life, gave life and 
eternal blessedness to a lost and ruined 
world. " In Him was life ; and the life was 
the light of men." "I lay down My life for 
the sheep." "No man taketh it from Me, 
but I lay it down of Myself." " And I, if I 
be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men 
unto Me. This He said, signifying what death 
He should die." 2 

* There is danger of failing to appreciate the 
full power of His atoning sufferings, by dwell- 
ing too stedfastly upon the cross, wonderful 
as are its tragic scenes and testimonies of 
love. There is danger, through the over- 
excited imagination, of being moved mainly 
by the bodily agonies, and thus throwing 
into the background the greater and more 
essential sufferings. It was not His body, 
but His intelligent soul that was in sore 
travail, and was made an offering for sin. 

1 Matt, xxvii. 46, 50. a John i. 4; x. 15, iS ; xii. 32, 33. 



Gethsemane. 139 

What His pure sinless soul suffered for the 
guilty while on the cross, and what He suf- 
fered in the wilderness and in the garden, 
should command the most earnest thought, 
the deepest veneration, and the most adoring 
devotion. What He endured of exhaustion and 
suffering when buffeted by Satan forty days 
and forty nights, we have no record. That / 
it was intensely severe we know from the 
persistent malignity of the tempter, and from 
the fact that when it ended, angels minis- 
tered unto Him. In the garden, when mental 
anguish permeated His soul, He endured 
more of vicarious suffering than at any other 
time, save only when, on the cross, that 
bitter cry of agony was wrenched out, " My 
God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me ? " 
In the wilderness He was alone ; in the 
garden He was alone ; on the cross He was 
alone. " He trod the winepress alone; and 
of the people there was none with Him." 

To use a very homely illustration, — as 
the value of a bank-note is not in the 
size of the paper, or the amount of printing 
thereon, but only in the character which is 
stamped upon it, of ten, one hundred, or one 



140 Jesus of Nazareth. 

thousand, so the value of vicarious sufferings 
is not determined by their length or severity, 
but by the character of the sufferer. " Ye 
were not redeemed with corruptible things, 
as silver and gold . .. . but with the precious 
blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish 
and without spot : who verily was fore- 
ordained before the foundation of the world, 
but was manifest in these last times for 
you." 1 " Thou wast slain, and hast re- 
deemed us to God by thy blood out of every 
kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation," 2 
is the grateful homage and the triumphant 
ceaseless song of the redeemed. 

The question, What means this thrice- 
repeated player? comes again to the front with 
the anxious inquiry, Was it heard, and an- 
swered ? Did not the Lord Jesus know whether 
His petition were possible ? Could He pray for 
that which was impossible? Were the requisite 
qualifications for the certain answer to prayer 
not found in Him ? Neither of these suppo- 
sitions canfor a moment be entertained. Then 
whence this failing of heart, this sore amaze- 
ment, this pressure of sorrow, which brought 
x 1 Pet. i. 18-20. a Rev. v. 9. 



Gethsemane. 141 

Him nigh unto death, which so prostrated 
His body and soul and spirit as to force 
from Him the bloody sweat ? Was it the 
mere dread of death ? Death came by sin ; 
but He knew no sin. Being pure and in- 
nocent, death had no claims upon Him, 
and He could not dread a future reckoning. 
Was it the dread of the bodily tortures 
of His approaching crucifixion — so full of 
human and satanic malignity, and treachery, 
and weariness, and scourging, and ignominy, 
and suffering ? Certainly not, for multitudes 
of His followers have met all these with 
" unshaken cheerfulness. " Make His suffer- 
ings as terrible as possible, and with every 
aggravating circumstance, and still, for Jesus 
to shrink and pray for deliverance at the 
prospect of them, would show a weakness to 
which very many of His disciples, supported 
by His grace and presence, were strangers. 
They cheerfully, and without the least 
emotion, endured, for His sake, the most 
terrible of deaths. It was not this appre- 
hension, which in all its " horror of great 
darkness " He perfectly foreknew and com- 
prehended. It was something infinitely more 



142 Jesus of Nazareth. 

than this ; something far more deadly than 
this. It was, as we have already stated, the 
burden of the world's sin, which lay so heavy 
upon His generous, sensitive heart. It was 
-the drinking of the bitter cup which sin had 
poisoned. 

The apostle, when reviewing this hour in 
the garden, says: " Who in the days of His 
flesh, when He had offered up prayers and 
supplications with strong crying and tears 
unto Him that was able to save Him from 
death, and was heard in that He feared." 1 
This passage illuminates that dark, intensely 
dark, hour of Christ's mighty sorrow. It 
tells us what Jesus then feared. It was 
death. It tells us what He prayed for. It 
was deliverance from death. It tells us that 
the prayer was beard, and that it was heard 
because Jesus feared death. That it was 
heard means that it was answered. At the 
tomb of Lazarus, Jesus "groaned in spirit, 
and was troubled;" then " Jesus lifted up 
His eyes, and said, Father, I thank Thee that 

1 Heb. v. 7 ; which may perhaps be read, " heard (and 
delivered) from His fear." The ellipsis is like that in Psa. 
xxii. 21, " Thou hast heard (and delivered) me from the horns 
of the unicorns. " 



Gethsemane. 143 

Thou hast heard Me. And I knew that Thou 
nearest Me always. " 

There the answer was immediate. So 
here, Christ was heard and answered when 
He prayed in the garden. What He then 
feared was death, not on His own account, 
not because of the dread anticipated suffer- 
ings, for these He did endure, " being obe- 
dient unto death, even the death of the 
cross. " What He feared was, that His 
human nature would then sink crushed under 
the terrific pressure, in this hour of His 
great suffering. Should He be thus crushed, 
His great work of atonement, which must 
be on the cross, would fail. Therefore He 
feared death, and prayed to Him who " was 
able to save Him from death" — prayed that 
He might not die then and there, but that 
He might live, and go on to suffer and to 
complete, on the cross, the work which His 
Father gave Him to do. How apposite and 
definite tnis prayer: " And prayed that, if it 
were possible, the hour might pass from Him." 1 
The present hour, not that of the cross. The 
hour of suffering, aggravated, may be, by the 

1 Mark xiv. 35. 



144 jesns of Nazareth. 

malignant assault of the devil, who, though 
he failed in the wilderness, " departed from 
Him for a season" 1 only, tempting Him to 
abandon such sufferings on behalf of such 
worthless, guilty wretches as men. 

His prayer had an immediate answer; 
for when He lay prostrate upon the earth, 
in the deep throes of His deadly an- 
guish, and sweating as it were great drops 
of blood, there " appeared an angel unto 
Him, strengthening Him." 2 The hour passed, 
His agony ceased, and He met His be- 
trayer. But for this timely supernatural 
strengthening, His human nature would 
have sunk under the pressure of mental 
and soul agonies. When for forty days 
He fasted, and was tempted of the devil, 
" angels came and ministered unto Him." 
Thus in the garden, by supernatural power, 
He was strengthened and saved from death 
at that time. He lived and, with no evidence 
of weakness, went through all the subsequent 
trials and sufferings, until upon the cross 
He could say, "It is finished;" then "He 
bowed His head, and gave up the ghost." 

1 Luke iv. 13. 2 Luke xxii. 43. 



Gethsemane. 145 

What He asked He knew was agreeable to 
the will of His Father. He came to suffer 
in the garden and on the cross. This was 
the will cf God. He prayed that the will of 
God might be done. He prayed that His 
body might not die in the garden when on 
the way to the cross ; but that He might live 
until the whole work of atoning suffering 
was done, This prayer was not selfish, but 
glowing with benevolence, and He knew 
that it was agreeable to the Divine will ; and 
it was heard and answered. It is recorded, 
not as some teach, simply as an example ot 
submission to unanswered prayer, but as an 
encouragement to pray with the assurance 
that, having the qualifications for true prayer, 
the prayer will be answered. That it teaches 
cheerful submission, even in the darkest hour, 
is certain. It does more : it calls us to 
remember with adoring gratitude the bene- 
volence of Christ, praying that He might be 
sustained to endure and live to suffer until 
His finished sufferings secured the salvation 
of men. In all our trials we are assured 01 
His sympathy. The remembrance of His 
own " prayers and supplications, with strong 
11 



146 Jesus of Nazareth. 

crying and tears," and the supernatural help 
then given Him, will ever keep His heart 
alive to the earnest cries of His people, when 
they, quickened by the Holy Spirit, plead for 
things agreeable to the Divine will. 



VIII. 
THE BETRAYAL, 



CHAPTER VIII. 



THE BETRAYAL. 




he agonies of the garden being ended, 
the soul of the Redeemer was filled 

with a heavenly calm. Being strength- 
ened by the ministering angel, He arose, firm 
and resolute. He set Himself, with irresistible 
determination, to go on to the death which 
He knew was nigh. He came to His dis- 
ciples, saying, "The hour is at hand, and the 
Son of man is betrayed into the hands of 
sinners. Rise, let us be going : behold, he 
is at hand that doth betray Me." 1 No fear 
disturbed Him ; His courage was unshaken ; 
He went forth, a willing sacrifice. "And 
while He yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the 
twelve, came, and with him a great mul- 

1 Matt, xxvi, 45, 46, 



150 Jesus of Nazareth. 

titude with swords and staves, from the chief 
priests and elders of the people." 1 " Judas 
knew the place: for Jesus oft times resorted 
thither with His disciples." 2 The chief priests 
and elders being informed that the time had 
come to carry out their concerted plan, they 
obtained a band, the captain and officers of 
the temple guard, who came with lanterns 
and torches and weapons. 

The priests and elders prepared this array, 
either to secure themselves against any 
commotion, or to make it appear that Jesus 
was a dangerous ringleader of sedition. 
"Jesus therefore, knowing all things that 
should come upon Him, went forth " to meet 
these armed men, and " said unto them, 
Whom seek ye ? They answered Him, Jesus 
of Nazareth." With heroic frankness, 
"Jesus saith unto them, I am He." 3 There 
was something in the manner of Jesus which 
arrested their advance — " they went back- 
ward;" something that so filled them with 
awe and dread that they "fell to the ground." 
What was this something ? Did the calm 
majesty and benignity of His countenance 

x Matt. xxvi. 47. 2 John xviii. 2. 3 John xviii. 4, 5. 



The Betrayal. 151 

strike home the conviction that He was a 
holy and innocent man ? Or did His Divinity 
flash out for a moment with withering power ? 
There they would have remained, like dead 
men, had not Jesus summoned them to con- 
sciousness by asking again, " Whom seek 
ye ? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. 
Jesus answered, I have told you that I am 
He." He thus expressed a second time His 
willingness to be apprehended by them. But 
though ready to be offered Himself, His kind 
heart pleaded for His disciples : " If therefore 
ye seek Me, let these go their way." This 
request He made to the soldiers whose busi- 
ness it was to arrest Him. 

The narrative particularly states that 
"Judas also, which betrayed Him, stood with 
them," — not awestruck and overpowered, as 
were the soldiers, but rigidly determined to 
carry out his part of the compact. As the 
soldiers did not personally know Jesus, and 
as, in the darkness and confusion, they might 
not seize the right person, a certain sign had 
been agreed on. " Whomsoever I shall kiss, 
that same is He: hold Him fast;" 1 "take 

1 Matt. xxvi. 48. 



152 Jesus of Nazareth. 

Him, and lead Him away." " And he came 
to Jesus, and said, Hail, Master; and kissed 
Him. ,, 

''And Jesus said unto him, Friend, where- 
fore art thou come ?" Friend! this implied 
neither approbation nor complacency in the 
act. Rather was it the severest possible 
rebuke. "Judas, thou comest to Me joyfully, 
saying, All hail! Thou callest Me Master, 
declaring My superiority and your confidence 
in Me ; thou givest Me a kiss, the token of the 
most intimate and sacred friendship ; and lo ! 
this is the concerted token of your treachery. 
I am not taken by surprise. I knew you would 
seek for Me in this retired garden, whither I 
often came with My disciples. I have come 
to meet you here. I have not been deceived. 
I knew that you had a devil ; that you were 
covetous and resentful ; yet I took you into 
My family, and placed you under the very 
best circumstances for becoming a good man. 
You saw My miracles, you heard My teach- 
ings, you knew My whole manner of life ; 
you were the equal companion of true and 
loyal men ; and through the years I treated 
you with the same external confidence that 



The Betrayal. 153 

I did the others. I gave you warning when 
we were all gathered at the last passover, 
saying ' that one of you should betray Me ; ' 
* the hand of him that betrayeth Me is with 
me on the table.' When, in deep sorrow, 
each said, 'Lord, is it I ?' rather suspecting 
themselves than you, I told them, ' He that 
dippeth with Me in the dish, the same shall 
betray Me.' Then when you, at the last, 
said, ' Master, is it I ? * I frankly answered, 
' Thou hast said.' Still more faithfully and 
pointedly did I warn you when the beloved 
John asked, 'Who is it?' I said, 'He it is 
to whom I shall give a sop when I have 
dipped it.' With bated breath and search- 
ing eyes, and anxiety on every countenance, 
they watched Me ; then I dipped the sop and 
gave it to you, and I told you of the terrible 
doom which awaited you if you should 
persevere in your wicked purpose : ' The 
Son of man goeth, as it is w r ritten of Him : 
but woe to that man by whom the Son of 
man is betrayed ! good were it for that man 
if he had never been born.' You then left 
Me and your fellow-disciples ; you hurried 
to the chief priests and elders, and covenanted 



154 Jesus of Nazareth. 

with them for thirty pieces of silver to 
deliver Me into their hands. And now you 
have come with armed men, as though I 
were a man of desperate wickedness. You 
have sold Me at the price of a slave. I am 
neither surprised nor deceived." 

Why did He not spurn the wretch with 
holy indignation ? Meekness and gentleness 
prevailed. What wonderful self-control ! He 
knew what the end would be. He left it 
to time and the pungency of conscience and 
remorse to proclaim His innocence and to 
bring about the earthly end of the betrayer. 
" Then Judas, which had betrayed Him . . . 
brought again the thirty pieces of silver to 
the chief priests and elders, saying, I have 
sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent 
blood." When they replied, " What is that 
to us? see thou to that," " he cast down the 
pieces of silver in the Temple, and departed, 
and went and hanged himself." Truly, " the 
way of transgressors is hard." Than the 
suicide of an apostle what could be more 
awful ? Or what could teach a more salu- 
tary lesson to ourselves, to take heed lest we 
fall, and ourselves betray our Lord ? 



The Betrayal. 155 

"Then the band and the captain and 
officers of the Jews took Jesus and bound 
Him." Peter had looked on with strange 
emotion, wondering whereunto these things 
would grow. But when they seized and 
bound Jesus, his swelling emotions culmi- 
nated. He could restrain himself no longer. 
He " drew his sword, and struck a servant 
of the high priest's, and smote off his ear." 1 
This was the beginning of strife, and how 
bloody and deadly would have been the result 
cannot be told, had not Jesus, with authority, 
commanded, " Put up thy sword ; " " the cup 
which My Father hath given Me, shall I not 
drink it ?" This arrested the turbulent Peter. 
Benevolently touching the ear, Christ healed 
it; and this quieted the soldiers. It is strange 
that this miracle of healing made no salutary 
impression upon the priests and elders and 
captains of the Temple. He now referred them 
to His daily works and teachings in the 
Temple, when they stretched forth no hand 
against Him. But now " Are ye come out 
as against a thief with swords and staves 
for to take Me?" " This is your hour, and 

1 Matt. xxvi. 51. 



156 Jesus of Nazareth. 

the power of darkness." * He yielded peace- 
fully, not because He was feeble and unpro- 
tected : ' ' Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray 
to My Father, and He shall presently give Me 
more than twelve legions of angels ? But 
how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, 
that thus it must be?" 2 " All things must 
be fulfilled, which were written in the law of 
Moses, and in the prophets, and in the 
psalms, concerning Me." 3 

" They bound Him." It was not the cord 
that held Him ; this He could have broken 
with infinite ease. It was not the band of 
soldiers that restrained Him ; these He could 
have struck dead as promptly as He threw 
them upon the ground. His immense, un- 
conquerable love was stronger than the cord, 
was mightier than the armed band. Strange, 
passing strange, that, when the disciples saw 
that the men of violence had the mastery, 
they " all forsook Him, and fled ! " 4 

1 Luke xxii. 53. 2 Matt. xxvi. 53, 54. 

3 Luke xxiv. 44. * Matt. xxvi. 56. 



IX. 

THE TRIAL. 



CHAPTER IX. 



THE TRIAL. 



BEFORE THE PRIESTS. 



ound and closely guarded, the ex- 
ultant crowd " led Him away to 
Annas first,", the father-in-law of 
Caiaphas. Though deposed from the high 
priesthood by the Roman procurator Vale- 
rius, he still retained the title, From the 
mention made of him in Luke iii. 2, John 
xviii. 13, and Acts iv. 6, it is probable that 
he continued to act as a sagan, or deputy. 

Why Jesus was first brought to Annas is 
not stated. As it was now fully midnight, 
and as no legal council could meet at that 
hour, He may have been lodged there prima- 
rily for safe-keeping. Annas availed himself 
of this opportunity, and " asked Jesus of His 



160 Jesus of Nazareth. 

disciples, and of His doctrine ; " that is, " Who 
are Thy disciples, and for what £nd hast Thou 
gathered them ? Is it to make Thyself a 
king ? And what are the doctrines Thou hast 
taught them ? " These questions were artfully 
framed, so as to lead Christ to declare Him- 
self to be the Messiah. Judging by himself, 
and supposing Christ to be actuated by 
worldly ambition, he expected He would 
admit this claim, and thus would be con- 
demned on His own confession. 

Whilst the answer of Jesus was calm and 
dignified, it administered a decided reproof: 
" I spake openly to the world; I ever taught 
in the synagogue, and in the Temple, whither 
the Jews always resort ; and in secret have I 
said nothing. Why askest thou Me ? Ask 
them which heard Me, what I have said 
unto them : behold, they know what I said." 
This was so obviously just that it uncovered 
the iniquity of this attempt to make Christ 
convict Himself. But it only stirred up 
wrath. " When He had thus spoken, one of 
the officers which stood by struck Jesus with 
the palm of his hand, saying, Answerest thou 
the high priest so ?" 



The Trial. 161 

Annas did not reprove this illegal insolence, 
but by his silence encouraged it. Paul, 
when smitten on the mouth by the command 
of Ananias — thus illegally deciding the case 
before it was heard — roused up into sudden 
anger, said, " God shall smite thee, thou 
whited wall : for sittest thou to judge me 
after the law, and commandest me to be 
smitten contrary to the law ?" When those 
who stood by said, " Revilest thou God's high 
priest ?" he justified himself, saying, " I wist 
not, brethren, that he was the high priest. " 
It was notorious that Ananias was not called 
to that office in accordance with the Divine 
law, but that all the authority which he had 
was derived from the Roman political power. 
And yet the apostle recognised the reverence 
due to the office ; for it is written, " Thou 
shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy 
people." But Jesus, the infinitely more 
insulted one, with no indication of anger or 
of holy indignation, meekly reproved the 
offender, saying, " If I have spoken evil, bear 
witness of the evil : but if well, why smitest 
thou Me?" 

This examination before Annas is only 
12 



1 62 Jesus of Nazareth. 

related by the evangelist John. *It demon- 
strates the temper and determination of those 
by whose authority He was arrested. They 
seized Him with a foregone determination 
that He should be put to death. The narra- 
tive leaves the impression on the mind that 
Annas, though deposed, yet by reason of his 
age and worldly position, had controlling 
influence, and was really the most guilty of 
all concerned in securing the death of Jesus. 
Being satisfied that he could not extort from 
the prisoner any self-conviction, he sent Him 
bound to Caiaphas the high priest. 

" As soon as it was day, the elders of 
the people and the chief priests and the 
scribes came together, and led him into 
their council. " In scanning the parties who 
composed this council, it is worthy of note 
that no mention is made of the Pharisees. 
This is the more remarkable, when we call 
to mind their undisguised hatred of Christ, 
and their persevering endeavours to entrap 
Him by various subtleties. As we cannot 
suppose they were averse to His being put to 
death, their absence may be accounted for 
by their opposition to the Sadducees, who 



The Trial. 163 

were the dominant party, having the high 
priesthood and the control of the Sanhedrim. 
As Jesus, in His examination before Annas, 
told him that the proper method of procedure 
was to summon witnesses to prove what 
doctrine He had taught, so " the council 
sought false witnesses against Jesus, to put 
Him to death." They had determined upon 
His death ; but the forms of law must be 
observed. As no true witnesses could be 
brought to testify against Him, they had 
resort to false ones. This, at that day, as 
well as at the present, was practised by un- 
scrupulous men. In the case of Stephen, 
when the council were not able to resist the 
wisdom and the spirit by which he spake, 
they suborned men. The witnesses sum- 
moned by Caiaphas, " though many," were 
useless: " but their witness agreed not to- 
gether." Their language and bearing were 
contemptuous. " This fellow said, I am able 
to destroy the temple of God, and to build 
it in three days." When the high priest 
saw that Jesus took no notice of the things 
witnessed, " he arose, and said unto Him, 
Answerest Thou nothing ? What is it which 



164 Jesus of Nazareth. 

these witness against Thee ? But Jesus held 
His peace, and answered nothing." " Who, 
when He was reviled, reviled not again ; 
when He suffered, He threatened not ; but 
committed Himself to Him that judgeth 
righteously." 

Thwarted and chagrined by the failure of 
the witnesses, and by the silence and digni- 
fied composure of Jesus, the high priest, endea- 
vouring to force out of Him some confession 
on which he might condemn Him, said, " Art 
Thou the Christ ? tell us." Jesus replied, " If I 
tell you, ye will not believe : and if I also ask 
you, ye will not answer Me, nor let Me go." 
This was plain and honest. It clearly in- 
timated that He perfectly understood the 
temper and determination of the court before 
which He stood, and that it would avail 
nothing for Him to plead. Reduced to utter 
despair, this false high priest made one more 
desperate effort to wrench out a confession 
by which to condemn Him. Still standing, 
and with all the high influence of his office 
concentrated in his manner and words, said, 
" I adjure Thee, by the living God, that Thou 
tell us whether Thou be the Christ, the 



The Trial. 165 

Son of God/' "the Son of the Blessed." 
Strange question this from the judge, who, 
with impartial justice, should protect the 
rights of the prisoner ! Strange questian to 
be put to a prisoner bound and defenceless, 
and virtually condemned, though nothing had 
been proved against Him ! But not strange, 
under the circumstances, when all the forms 
of law had failed. Being thus adjured, the 
Jewish equivalent to being under oath, Jesus 
could no longer be silent or allow of any 
misunderstanding of His true position. Know- 
ing that' death was near, and would be made 
certain by His truthful answer, He hesitated 
not a moment, but firmly replied, "Thou hast 
said." " I am." And, with deep solemnity, 
He added, " Hereafter shall ye see the Son 
of man sitting on the right hand of power, 
and coming in the clouds of heaven." " Then 
the high priest rent his clothes" — the token 
of his sacred horror, " saying, He hath 
spoken blasphemy; what further need have 
we of witnesses ? " Having thus convicted 
Him by His words of truth, the high priest 
said, " Now ye have heard His blasphemy. 
What think ye ? They answered and said, 



1 66 Jesus of Nazareth. 

He is guilty of death. " " And they all con- 
demned Him to be guilty of death. " A just 
appreciation of this solemn hour, when a man 
is condemned to death, should hush any angry 
feeling and subdue every turbulent emotion. 
Not so now; this was the hour of triumph for 
the powers of darkness, when the malice and 
the scorn which had long been pent up found 
free utterance. " Then did they spit in His 
face;" " they mocked " and " buffeted Him." 
Bound and helpless, they blindfolded Him, 
and, with derision, " smote Him with the 
palms of their hands, saying, Prophesy unto 
us, Thou Christ, Who is he that smote Thee ? 
And many other things blasphemously spake 
they against Him." 

BEFORE PILATE. 

The scene now changes from the Jewish 
to the Gentile tribunal. " When the morning 
was come, all the chief priests and elders of 
the people took counsel against Jesus to put 
Him to death : and when they had bound 
Him, they led Him away, and delivered Him 
to Pontius Pilate the governor." 

Pontius Pilate was the sixth Roman Pro- 



The Trial. 167 

curator of Judea, having his usual residence 
in Caesarea. By reason of his cruelties and 
oppressions he had become, not only un- 
popular, but decidedly odious to the Jews, and 
especially to the Samaritans, whose blood 
" he mingled with their sacrifices. ,, 

It is worthy of note that the apostles 
expressed no intense condemnation of Pilate 
when they charged the murder of Christ upon 
the Jewish rulers. They simply state the 
fact that " before Pontius Pilate He witnessed 
a good confession, " and that " Pilate delivered 
Him to be crucified." Our Lord discriminated 
the relative guilt of the several parties, say- 
ing, " He that delivered Me unto thee hath 
the greater sin." That the conduct of Pilate 
was highly criminal cannot be denied. Yet 
it was light compared with that of the 
priests. His was the guilt of weakness and 
fear ; theirs of settled and deliberate malice 
and murder. In his hands was the life of the 
prisoner. He believed Him to be innocent. 
He should have set Him at liberty, regardless 
of consequences ; but he yielded to violence 
and regard to personal interest, and so com- 
mitted an awful crime. A careful and candid 



1 68 Jesus of Nazareth. 

collation of all the facts show that, vicious 
and cruel and unjust as Pilate was in his 
usual conduct, in the trial of Christ he made 
repeated and strenuous efforts to protect and 
defend Him, an innocent man, against the 
malice of His enemies. 

Immediately after the examination of Jesus 
before the council, where, on an extorted 
confession, they pronounced Him guilty of 
blasphemy, they led Him, the priests accom- 
panying, from Caiaphas to the hall of judg- 
ment, or Praetorium. This was the residence 
of the Roman governor when in Jerusalem, 
which was always at the passover and other 
festal gatherings. It was probably in the 
Castle of Antonia, in the north-west corner of 
the Temple area. Here the Roman soldiers 
were in garrison. 1 Here occurs the strangest 
regard for the minutest items of the cere- 
monial law, whilst the priests were per- 
severingly trampling on all justice and all 
mercy. Having purified themselves, they 
would not enter into the palace, the house of 
a heathen. " They themselves went not into 
the judgment hall, lest they should be de- 

1 Mark xv. 16; Acts xxi. 31-37 ; xxiii, 10. 



The Trial. 169 

filed." "Ye pay tithe of mint and anise 
and cummin, and have omitted the weightier 
matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and 
faith." " Pilate then went out unto them, 
and said, What accusation bring ye against 
this man ? " This question, perfectly proper 
for the judge to ask, took them by surprise. 
Pilate intended a judicial inquiry, but they 
expected him simply to give the order for 
His execution. Being offended, and throwing 
themselves upon their dignity, they replied, 
" If He were not a malefactor, we would not 
have delivered Him unto thee." It may be 
that Pilate spake in a manner so stern and 
authoritative as to show his displeasure for 
bringing to him a person to be sentenced to 
death against whom no sufficient accusation 
and proof had been brought. He would not 
be an executioner where he had not been a 
judge. Perhaps with manifested contempt, he 
said, "Take ye Him, and judge Him accord- 
ing to your law." Now they are compelled 
to confess their national humiliation, that 
they could not inflict the death-penalty. " It 
is not lawful for us to put any man to death." 
The Jewish law made stoning the punish- 



170 Jesus of Nazareth. 

ment for blasphemy : " He that blasphemeth 
the name of the Lord, he shall surely be put 
to death, and all the congregation shall cer- 
tainly stone him. ,, x For other crimes, hang- 
ing was the penalty. " If a man have com- 
mitted a sin worthy of death . . . and thou 
hang him on a tree." 2 But the power of life 
and death had been taken from the Jews by 
their Roman masters. Such cases as the 
stoning of Stephen were wild, tumultuary 
proceedings, out of the course of law. By 
being thus compelled to refer the matter to the 
heathen authorities, the Jews unconsciously 
fulfilled the prophetic words of Jesus : 
" Shall deliver Him to the Gentiles, to mock, 
and to scourge, and to crucify Him." " And 
I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw 
all men unto Me. This He spake, signifying 
what death He should die." 

Having failed in their first effort, they 
abandon the charge of blasphemy, and resort 
to definite accusations. These are so framed 
as to compel Pilate to entertain them. " And 
they began to accuse Him, saying, We found 
this fellow perverting the nation, and for- 

x Lev. xxiv. 16. 2 Deut. xxi. 22. 



The Trial. 171 

bidding to give tribute to Csesar, saying that 
He Himself is Christ a King." Here are three 
political crimes : perverting the nation, with- 
holding tribute, and proclaiming Himself to be 
the Messiah — a king, the King of the Jews. 
How artful are these charges ; how well cal- 
culated to excite the jealousy of the judge ! 
Pilate, that he might not seem to fail in 
loyalty to the Roman emperor, " entered 
into the judgment hall again, and called 
Jesus unto him, and," passing by the first 
and second charges as of less moment, " said 
unto Him, Art Thou the King of the Jews? " 
There is no evidence of agitation, or of se- 
verity, or suspicion on the part of Pilate, but 
rather of confidence in Jesus that He would 
tell the truth. As by the Roman law no 
prisoner was compelled to accuse himself, 
Christ might have refused to answer. Had 
He said No, it would have been untrue. Had 
He said Yes, without any explanation, it 
would have misled the governor. " Jesus 
said unto him, Thou sayest it," — it is as thou 
sayest. Then He asks a question, justified 
by Roman law, which secured to Him the 
right to know and to face His accusers : 



172 Jesus of Nazareth. 

" Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did 
others tell it thee of Me ? " Pilate, perhaps 
with scornful contempt, answered, " Am I 
a Jew?" Is it probable that I, a Gentile, 
am personally acquainted with the religious 
opinions, expectations, and disputes of your 
people ? The accusation does not come from 
me. " Thine own nation and the chief priests 
have delivered Thee unto me;" they are your 
accusers. " What hast thou done ? " He 
might with justice have replied, What says 
My life ? My teachings have ever been in 
the synagogues and the Temple, open to all 
persons. Let those who have heard Me 
testify. What have I done ? Many works 
of healing and of mercy. They have not 
been done in secret places, but openly, in 
Judea, in Samaria, and in Galilee ; let the 
healed ones and their friends and the by- 
standers bear witness of what I have done. 
Do these indicate that I am a turbulent per- 
son, or that I have stirred up the people to 
treasonable acts ? I have said I am a King. 
" My kingdom is not of this world." I in- 
terfere not with your authority ; I am not an 
enemy to Caesar ; I assume no worldly 



The Trial. 173 

station. " If My kingdom were of this world,, 
then would My servants fight, that I should 
not be delivered to the Jews." So far from 
this, I restrained one of My disciples from 
fighting when he drew his sword and smote 
off the ear of the servant of the high priest. 
He would have rescued Me from the armed 
band, but I forbade him ; and, to redress the 
evil he had done, I healed the wounded man, 
and then quietly submitted to be bound and 
led away. Pilate could neither understand 
nor reconcile statements like these with His 
claim to be a king. He repeats the question, 
" Art Thou a king then ? " " Jesus answered, 
Thou sayest that I am a king; " it is as thou 
sayest, — I am a king; "to this end was I 
born, and for this cause came I into the 
world, that I should bear witness unto the 
truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth 
My voice. " This is what Paul calls the " good 
confession " which Christ Jesus witnessed 
before Pontius Pilate. The words are of the 
profoundest meaning. Our Lord declares, 
not only that He uttered the truth in claim- 
ing royalty, but that His kingdom has its 
only foundation in The Truth. His witness 



174 Jesus of Nazareth. 

Jlo this made Him King — enthroned in the 
believing hearts and consenting wills of men. 
Thus He reigns. He is Himself the Truth. 
" The truth is in Jesus." 

It is observable that Pilate was not offended 
by this claim to royalty on the part of Christ. 
It may be that when our Lord spake of bear- 
ing witness to the truth, adding, that every 
one that is of the truth would hear His voice 
and follow Him, Pilate supposed Him to be 
some philosopher, whose claim to royalty must 
be mystically understood. Hence " Pilate 
saith unto Him, What is truth ? " To this 
question, which may have been asked because 
he was indifferent to any further prosecution 
of the trial, Jesus made no reply. And when 
"the chief priests accused Him of many 
things, He answered nothing." " Then said 
Pilate unto Him, Hearest Thou not how 
many things they witness against Thee ? And 
He answered him to never a word ; insomuch 
that the governor marvelled greatly." " He 
was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He 
opened not His mouth: He is brought as a 
lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before 
1 See John xiv. 6 ; Eph. iv. 21. 



The Trial. 175 

her shearers is dumb, so He opened not His 
mouth." 

Then " Pilate went out again unto the 
Jews, and said to the chief priests and to 
the people, I find no fault in this man" Having 
made this decision, he should at once have 
caused Jesus to be unbound and released 
from the custody of the priests with their 
armed band. Why he did not may not cer- 
tainly be known. His previous conduct 
towards the Jews, and a recollection of the 
influence which their rulers had at Rome, 
may have made him reluctant to excite their 
wrath. 

BEFORE HEROD. 

When Pilate pronounced Christ to be 
innocent of the three charges, the priests 
were not satisfied. It was not w 7 hat they ex- 
pected and were determined to have. It only 
kindled their wrath into a fiercer flame, and 
their voices rose in wilder tumult. " And 
they were the more fierce :" they reiterated 
the charges with more intense emphasis : 
" He stirreth up the people, teaching through- 
out all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this 



176 Jesus of Nazareth. 

place. " Very artfully do they mention Galilee 
as the starting-place of the sedition ; for they 
knew that Galilee was under the jurisdiction 
of Herod, and also that Pilate and Herod 
were at enmity with each other. Amid the 
clamorous and passionate accusations the 
word Galilee caught the ear of Pilate, and 
"he asked whether the man were a Galilean. 
And as soon as he knew that He belonged to 
Herod's jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, 
who himself also was at Jerusalem at that 
time." Pilate's motive may have been that 
Herod, being the prince of that region, would 
have the means of certain knowledge concern- 
ing the charge of sedition. As Herod was 
a Jew, he would be conversant with the laws 
and customs of his nation. At any rate, if 
Herod should condemn Christ, Pilate would 
escape the guilt and infamy of putting to 
death an innocent man. Whatever the 
motive was, Christ, still bound, was sent to 
Herod. This was Herod Antipas, the son of 
Herod the Great, and governor of Galilee 
and Peraea. He lived in adultery with Hero- 
dias, the wife of his brother Philip ; and, in- 
stigated by this base woman, because re- 



The Trial. 177 

buked by John the Baptist, had caused him 
to be beheaded. He was naturally of a weak, 
mild temperament, but cunning, dissolute, 
and selfishly cruel. It was of this man, 
when " certain of the Pharisees came unto 
Christ, saying unto Him, Get thee out, and 
depart hence [Persea] : for Herod will kill 
Thee," that He replied, " Go ye, and tell that 
fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to- 
day and to-morrow, and the third day I shall 
be perfected. " This Herod was of the sect 
of the Sadducees, who denied the immortality 
of the soul and disbelieved in future punish- 
ment. He was thus in sympathy with the 
high priests and majority of the Sanhedrim, 
who also were Sadducees. This is the man 
to whom Pilate sent Jesus. 

" And when Herod saw Jesus, he was ex- 
ceeding glad." He was glad, not that he 
might be taught and led in the right way ; 
not that he might have the opportunity to 
defend the rights of an injured innocent man; 
but that curiosity, his love of the marvellous, 
might be gratified, " for he was desirous to 
see Him of a long season, 1 because he had 

1 Luke ix. 9. 

n 



178 Jesus of Nazareth. 

heard many things of Him ; and he hoped 
to have seen some miracle done by Him." 
Prompt and liberal as Christ was in His 
miracles for the poor and afflicted, He would 
not work one to gratify the curiosity of this 
man, before whom He stood as a prisoner 
charged with sedition and treason. Disap- 
pointed of the miracle, " he questioned with 
Him in many words." These probably were 
vexatious questions, designed to entrap Him. 
Meanwhile " the chief priests and scribes 
stood and vehemently accused Him." But 
our Lord maintained the majesty of silence : 
" He answered him nothing." Then the 
vulgar insolence of Herod's nature broke forth. 
" And Herod w T ith his men of war set Him 
at nought, and mocked Him." They derided 
and treated Him with the utmost contempt 
and insolence. They " arrayed Him in a gor- 
geous robe," a white robe, the royal colour 
among the Hebrews. Thus they mocked 
His claims to royalty and to innocence. Dis- 
appointed as Herod was, and sympathising 
with the Jews in their hatred to Christ, 
still he did not dare to condemn Him on the 
charges preferred, for he knew that no sedition 



The Trial. 179 

had been stirred by Him in Galilee. He 
" sent Him again to Pilate. And the same 
day Pilate and Herod were made friends 
together : for before they were at enmity 
between themselves." It was not a common 
hatred of Jesus that made them friends, as 
is often supposed, for Pilate manifested no 
personal hatred, but a strong and persistent 
desire to deliver Him. It was rather the act 
of courtesy on the part of Pilate in recog- 
nising the jurisdiction of Herod, and in send- 
ing Christ for his judgment, that healed their 
animosity. 

AGAIN BEFORE PILATE. 

" And Pilate, when he had called together 
the chief priests and the rulers and the 
people, said unto them, Ye have brought this 
man unto me, as one that perverteth the 
people : and, behold, I, having examined Him 
before you, have found no fault in this man 
touching those things whereof ye accuse Him : 
no, nor yet Herod : for I sent you to him ; 
and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto 
Him. I will therefore chastise Him, and 
release Him." How strange this conclusion, 



180 Jesus of Nazareth. 

after so clear a conviction of the perfect inno- 
cence of Jesus! Having, as His judge, pro- 
nounced Him absolutely innocent, he should 
have set Him absolutely free. Why chastise 
Him ? He saw the determined purpose of 
the priests and rulers ; he saw the gathering 
crowds of excited people, and he feared this 
accumulated power. To justify them in bring- 
ing Christ before him, and to please them 
by rendering ridiculous the pretensions of 
Jesus to royalty, and to ruin Him by a dis- 
graceful public infliction, he proposes to 
chastise Him, and then set Him free. This 
did not suit the high priests and rulers. 
It was not His disgrace, but His death as a 
malefactor, that they wanted, and would 
have. 

JESUS OR BARABBAS? 

It was the custom of the governor, on the 
occasion of the Passover, to release the 
prisoner whom the people might desire. Pilate 
therefore asked, " Will ye that I release unto 
you the King of the Jews ? " This question 
he addressed to the people, with the hope 
that they, remembering the many miracles 



The Trial. 181 

Christ had wrought, and knowing that no 
accusation against Him had been proved, 
would select Him as the prisoner to be 
released. He took this course the more con- 
fidently because he knew " that the chief 
priests had delivered Him for envy." 

There was a prisoner named Barabbas, 
"who had made insurrection," — the crime 
they charged against Jesus, — "who had com- 
mitted murder." He was the leader of a 
dangerous band, in character and behaviour 
the very opposite of Christ. " Whom will 
ye that I release unto you, Barabbas, or 
Jesus which is called Christ ? " It is not 
improbable that Barabbas, himself already 
condemned, was present, and stood con- 
trasted with Jesus. 

At this critical moment a messenger hurries 
into the court and hastily approaches the 
governor. All proceedings are stayed. The 
governor, with great excitement, receives the 
message. It is from his wife, Claudia 
Procula, who, being greatly troubled, and 
having " suffered many things this day in a 
dream because of Him " (Jesus), importuned 
the governor to " have nothing to do with 



182 Jesus of Nazareth. 

that just man." ■ The people of that era 
believed in dreams, especially those of the 
morning hour, as omens or warnings. For 
the time this message staggered him. He 
paused, and deliberated what he should do — 
how he should release the prisoner, and not 
exasperate the high priests, and still more in- 
flame the populace. During this pause the 
priests and rulers were not idle. They were 
busy among the people, who had not yet replied 
and expressed their choice. " But the chief 
priests and elders persuaded the multitude 
that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy 
Jesus. " Having resumed the trial, the 
governor asked, " Whether of the twain will 
ye that I release unto you ? " " And they 
cried out all at once, Away with this man, 
and release unto us Barabbas. " The governor 
was disappointed. He supposed that the 
people would, through their dread of a robber 
and murderer, desire the release of Christ. 
But then, even as now, the masses blindly 
follow the leaders who inflame their prejudices 

1 The fact that the wife of Pilate was then in Jerusalem 
illustrates the accuracy of the Gospel records, as the provincial 
governors had but recently been allowed by the Roman Senate 
to have their wives with them. 



The Trial. 183 

and blind their judgment. " Pilate therefore, 
willing to release Jesus, spake again to them, 
What will ye that I shall do unto Him whom 
ye call the King of the Jews ? " What a 
moment of supreme, intense interest ! What 
glances of malignant fire shot from the 
eyes of the high priests and elders, to ex- 
asperate the people and hold them to their 
dread work ! Would they stand firm, or 
would they shrink from the fearful leap into 
the guilt of demanding the death of the man 
whom the judge had repeatedly declared to 
be innocent, in whom he " found no fault 
at all ? " 

Stealthily there move among the multi- 
tude the desperate and determined leaders, 
whispering here and urging there, until a 
voice, clear, shrill, and piercing, strikes 
the keynote, " Crucify Him ! " At this re- 
sponse Pilate expressed his surprise, and 
puts in a plea for the prisoner, " Why, what 
evil hath He done ? I have found no cause of 
death in Him : I will therefore chastise Him, 
and let Him go." Now was the critical 
moment. Pilate pleads for Him, and the 
people hesitate. It is now or never. The 



184 Jesus of Nazareth. 

leaders, who must either triumph or perish, 
make their last appeal. They stir up the 
depths and succeed : " They cried out the 
more," " more exceedingly," " instant with 
loud voices, Crucify Him ! " " And the voices 
of them and of the chief priests prevailed." 
How intense that malignity which rejects all 
evidence, which tramples out all pleadings 
of humanity, and which, with undeviating 
tenacity, demands the death of an innocent 
man ! How bitterly cruel is envy ! How 
terrific the control of evil-minded leaders 
over the ignorant and the prejudiced ! 

" When Pilate saw that he could prevail 
nothing, but rather that a tumult was made," 
for it was not the deliberate voice of the 
people, but a blind uproar, inflamed and 
guided by wicked selfish leaders, " he took 
w T ater, and washed his hands before the multi- 
tude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this 
just person : see ye to it." He may have per- 
formed this in accordance with the heathen 
rite, which prescribed lustrations for such as 
innocently or unwillingly had committed 
murder. Or it might be that he intended to 
impress the people that he acted in keeping 



The Trial. 185 

with their own laws, which required, in the 
case of an unknown murder, the elders of the 
nearest city to wash their hands publicly, 
and say, " Our hands have not shed this 
blood.' , 

By this impressive act Pilate intended 
to express his solemn conviction of the in- 
nocence of Christ, that he had done all he 
could to save Him, and that he only yielded 
to the forces that surrounded and coerced 
him. Thus he would throw off from himself, 
and upon the accusers, all the guilt of putting 
this innocent man to death. Fatal delusion! 
There is no possible transference of guilt 
from one man to another man. When Pilate 
added, " See ye to it," and thus devolved the 
responsibility on them, he hoped to arrest 
them in their bold determination. It was 
unavailing. The inflexible leaders had caused 
the people so publicly to commit themselves 
that they were ready to assume any and all 
the responsibility. Then, with unparalleled 
infatuation, " answered all the people, and 
said, His blood be on us, and on our children." 
Terrific imprecation ! God does answer the 
prayers of wicked men. The answer to this 



186 Jesus of Nazareth. 

prayer has, for eighteen centuries, been the 
doom of the Jewish race. To this day they 
are under the curse of their own impre- 
cation. 

" And he released unto them him that for 
sedition and murder was cast into prison, 
whom they desired, but delivered Jesus to 
their will." "He was despised and rejected 
of men." 

THE SCOURGING AND MOCKING. 

"So Pilate, willing to content the people, 
released Barabbas unto them, and delivered 
Jesus, when he had scourged Him, to be 
crucified." Scourged Him ! what does that 
mean ? Not the chastisement allowed by the 
Mosaic code for minor offences, being forty 
stripes at the utmost, 1 but the Roman scourg- 
ing, which was fearfully cruel. The victim 
was publicly stripped, was tied by the hands, 
in a bent position, to a pillar; then, on 
the naked back, he was beaten, not with a 
rod, but with leathern thongs, weighted with 
jagged fragments of bone and lead. Every 
blow brought blood, until the quivering 

x Deut. xv. 3. 



The Trial. 187 

nerves were laid bare. Under the lacerating 
agony of this infliction the victim generally 
fainted, and oftentimes died. 

Immediately after this terrific and ex- 
hausting infliction, Jesus is handed over to 
the scorn and contemptuous cruelty of the 
soldiers. These lead Him to the hall : they 
gather the whole band, a cohort, — being 
one-tenth of a legion, — and load Him with 
the most cruel mockery and insult. That 
the victim is a Jew, and is defenceless, 
only adds keenness to their brutal treat- 
ment. They dress Him as a fool. They 
strip off the white robe in which Herod 
had arrayed Him, now soaked with blood ; 
they perform the ceremony of a mock in- 
auguration. They throw over His shoulders 
a purple robe — a Roman military cloak ; for 
a crown they plait a green wreath of thorns, 
and thrust it violently upon His head ; for a 
sceptre, they put a reed in His tied hands. 
The robe, the crown of thorns, and the reed, 
were the mock emblems of the royalty which 
Jesus was accused of claiming. Then, with 
bended knee, they tauntingly cry, " Hail, King 
of the Jews ! " Then, with contempt and 



1 88 Jesus of Nazareth. 

scorn, they spit upon Him ; they smite Him 
with their hands ; they smite Him upon the 
head with the reed. So the prophetic words 
are fulfilled : " I gave My back to the smiters, 
and My cheeks to them that plucked off the 
hair : I hid not My face from shame and spit- 
ting." 1 " He giveth His cheek to him that 
smiteth Him : He is filled full with reproach." 2 
Pilate, according to custom, was present, and 
witnessed the scourging and these acts of 
mockery and insult. Such treatment of a 
man whom he knew to be innocent, smote 
him, and stirred up the sense of justice and 
humanity, and thereupon he determined to 
make another effort to save Him from death. 
" Pilate therefore went forth again, and 
saith unto them, Behold, I bring Him forth 
to you, that ye may know that I find no fault 
in Him." He may have said, I have tried 
Him by torture, and have failed to extort 
any confession. " I find no fault in Him." 
Hoping that the sight of Jesus might move 
their manly sympathy, he brought Him forth, 
saying, " Behold the Man." His face and hair 
and shoulders clotted with His blood; His 

1 Isa. 1. 6. 2 Lam. iii. 30. 



The Trial. 189 

face swollen with the blows of the sol- 
diers, and His countenance marred with ex- 
haustion and weariness, — " His visage so 
marred more than any man, and His form 
more than the sons of men ! " Let His 
wretchedness plead with you. Has He not 
suffered enough ? Save, oh, save Him from 
the ignominy and agonies of crucifixion ! — In 
vain. There was no pity in the heart of the 
priests. Fearing that the people might be 
moved by this touching appeal, they waited 
not for them, but instantly " cried out, Crucify 
Him, Crucify Him ! " Then, in irony and 
contempt, " Pilate saith unto them, Take 
ye Him, and crucify Him : for I find no fault 
in Him." 

The priests now abandon for the time the 
political charge of sedition, and fall back 
upon the charge of blasphemy. " We have 
a law, and by our law He ought to die, 
because He made Himself the Son of God." 
" Caesar is our master ; still, he governs us 
by our laws. By our law, blasphemy merits 
death. And as we cannot execute Him by 
stoning, we demand that you should crucify 
this blasphemer." 



i go Jesus of Nazareth. 

This position nearly defeated their plan, 
by giving a new direction to the fears of 
Pilate, and leading him to renew his private 
examination of Jesus. According to Pilate's 
religion, it was consistent for the gods to 
appear among men. Barnabas and Paul 
were supposed by the people of Lystra to 
be Jupiter and Mercury. " When Pilate 
therefore heard that saying," " He made Him- 
self the Son of God," "he was the more 
afraid." To crucify one of the gods or the 
son of the gods would be a monstrous iniquity. 
He "went again into the judgment hall, 
and saith unto Jesus, Whence art Thou?" 
What is thy real origin ? Of what Father ? 
Now perhaps the miracles of Jesus, of which 
he had heard, crowd upon his mind, and sug- 
gest to Pilate that superhuman powers may 
belong to Him. " Whence art Thou ? But 
Jesus gave him no answer." It was too late 
to answer now : Pilate was too deeply com- 
mitted. He was entangled in the toils of the 
priests. Jesus had been strictly examined, 
and again and again by Pilate pronounced 
innocent ; and yet he had given Him up to 
His false accusers, knowing that for envy, 



The Trial. 191 

and not for crime, they had delivered Him. 
Why should He make any reply ? 

"Then Pilate,'' if not with anger, certainly 
with surprise, " saith unto Him, Speakest 
Thou not unto me ? knowest Thou not that I 
have power to crucify Thee, and have power 
to release Thee ? " Yes, as an earthly judge 
thou hast the power of life and death. Why 
speak of that, and not of justice, and truth, 
and conscience, and rectitude ? Power ! 
" Thou couldest have no power at all against 
Me, except it were given thee from above." 
" It is not simply to Caesar that you are ac- 
countable, but to God, whose Providence has 
placed My life in your hands. I know of 
your repeated declarations of My innocence, 
and of your desire to release Me. I know 
also your weakness, and your fear of the high 
priests and the outbreak of the people, and 
I pity you. To give Me up to crucifixion, 
knowing Me to be innocent, is indeed a 
crime, a very great crime. But yours is not 
the greatest guilt. Judas, and Annas, and 
Caiaphas, having better knowledge and greater 
strength of purpose, they are the most guilty." 
" He that delivered me unto thee hath the 



192 Jesus of Nazareth. 

greater sin." This language shows deep 
compassion, and almost, if not quite, implies 
forgiveness. So impressed by it was Pilate that 
from thenceforth he " sought to release Him." 

No sooner did he return to the priests and 
announce this determination, than he found 
that their malice was fertile in expedients ; 
"the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this 
man go, thou art not Caesar's friend : whoso- 
ever maketh himself a king speaketh against 
Caesar." Thus they appealed to Pilate's per- 
sonal political interests. With a menacing 
air they told him that if he released Christ 
they would accuse him to the emperor as 
derelict in duty and conniving at treason. 

This appeal to his official and political inte- 
rests was more potent than every other consi- 
deration. It awakened fears on the other side, 
and shook his resolution to the foundation. 
Conscious of maladministration and tyranny 
in many things, he was frightened at the mere 
thought of being accused to the emperor. For 
awhile he buffeted the temptation. " When 
Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought 
Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment 
seat in a place that is called the Pavement, 



The Trial. 193 

but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha : * . . . and 
he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King! " 
He knew that they were expecting a king to 
arise, under whom they hoped to be freed 
from Roman bondage. To call this beaten, 
blood-stained, insulted sufferer their king, 
stirred the deepest dregs of their malice; and, 
with intensest contempt, they " cried out, 
Away with Him, away with Him, crucifyHim!" 
Pilate, perhaps with taunting anger, " saith 
unto them, Shall I crucify your King ? " 
With determined hatred the chief priests 
rejected Jesus, saying, " We have no king 
but Caesar. Then delivered he Him therefore 
unto them to be crucified. " Then, when they 
hedged him in with threats to bring him before 
the Emperor Tiberius; then, when his fears 
were alarmed lest he should lose his office ; 
then, under the pressure of political interests, 
the. deed was done, and "he delivered Him 

1 "Gabbatha (literally, the back), or the pavement was a 
space between the Castle of Antonia and the western 
corner of the Temple, where the ridge of the rock or hill 
was paved with smooth stones. Qosephus, Bell. yud. v. 5. 8.) 
Here, in full view of the Temple, and before the Jewish 
multitudes, Pilate took his place on the judgment seat, to 
deliver to death Jesus, though he held Him to be innocent." 
— Robinson's Har7?iony. 

14 



194 Jesus of Nazareth. 

unto them to be crucified. And they took 
Jesus, and led Him away." 1 

THE CRUCIFIXION. 

The order being given to prepare the 
cross, the soldiers having again mocked 
Him, took off the purple military Roman 
toga and put on Him His own raiment. As 
no mention is made of the crown of thorns, 
it is most probable that He died wearing it, 
in derision of the title, "King of the Jews." 
" They took Jesus, and led Him away." 
"And He, bearing His cross "the tranverse 
beam] , went forth into a place w 7 hich is 
called in the Hebrew Golgotha." " The 
bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought 
into the sanctuary by the high priest for 
sin, are burned without the camp. Where- 
fore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the 
people with His own blood, suffered with- 

1 " T hit Pilate sent some official account of the trial and 
crucifixion to Tiberius would be a priori probable, and seems 
to be all but certain (Justin Martyr, Apol. i. 76 ; Tertullian, 
Apol. 21 ; Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. ii. 2 ; Lardner, vi. 606) ; 
but it is equally certain that the existing Acta, Paradosis, 
Mors, and EpistolcE Pilaii are spurious." — Farrar, Life of 
Christ, vul. ii. p. 392, note. 



The Trial. 195 

out the gate." * As He sinks under this bur- 
den, they " compel one Simon, a Cyrenian, 
the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear 
His cross. " Among the thronging company 
of people there were certain sympathising 
" women, who bewailed and lamented Him." 
Jesus, rising above His own troubles, gave this 
last warning of the miseries which awaited 
Jerusalem and the Jewish people : " Daugh- 
ters of Jerusalem, weep not for Me," for this 
crucifixion is the end of all My sufferings ; 
"but weep for yourselves, and for your chil- 
dren. For, behold, the days are coming, in 
the which they shall say, Blessed are the 
barren, and the wombs that never bare, 
and the paps which never gave suck." 
"Then," as predicted by the prophet Hosea, 2 
" shall they begin to say to the mountains, 
Fall on us ; and to the hills, Cover us." 
Thus, with death certain and speedy, He 
affirms His prediction of the judgment of 
Jerusalem, with all its terrific accompani- 
ments. He confirms this solemn warning by 
the statement, that if they do the things now 
being done by cruel mockery and crucifixion, 

1 Heb. xiii. n, 12. * Hosea x. 8. 



ig6 Jesus of Nazareth. 

"in the green tree," lovely in its verdure, 
the symbol of His innocence and worth, 
" what shall be done in the dry 7 ? " which has 
filled up its measure and is no longer of use, 
the symbol of those who put the innocent Son 
of man to death, and imprecated His blood 
upon their own and children's heads. " Some 
of you, and certainly some of your children, 
will live to see that day. Weep not tears 
of sympathy for My sufferings, but weep 
penitential tears for yourselves, that ye may 
escape in the evil day." Compassionate, 
loving Saviour! 

The soldiers, with the accompanying 
throng of people, moved along until they 
reached the place called Golgotha, or, in the 
Latin, Calvary, that is " a skull." There is no 
evidence that it was a hill or mount. The 
Scriptures simply call it " a place," probably 
the well-known place for public executions. 
As to its site there is no certain evidence. 
Robinson thinks it was a place on the side 
of some public road, near the city. Here 
they halted. " Then were there two thieves 
crucified with Him, one on the right hand, 
and another on the left." The selection of 



The Trial. 197 

these criminals for execution at the same time 
may have been intended as a further mark of 
ignominy, or as evidence that the law regarded 
each as worthy of the same death. Thus 
" was He numbered with the transgressors.'' 
As a matter of humanity it was customary, 
immediately before crucifixion, to give to 
the condemned a draught of wine, medicated 
with some strong opiate, to reduce the con- 
sciousness of pain. " They gave Him to 
drink wine [a weak acid wine, the common 
drink of the soldiers], mingled with myrrh; 
but He received it not " — " He would not 
drink." He would meet His death in the 
full possession of His intellectual and moral 
power. 

Crucifixion was not a Jewish but a Roman 
punishment. The cross consisted of a strong 
upright post, with a transverse beam a little 
below the top, also having a short bar or 
stake about the middle, which passed between 
the legs. On this bar the weight of the 
body principally rested. This, whilst it 
diminished the sufferings at first, made them 
much more lingering. 

The cross being prepared, our Lord, being 



198 Jesus of Nazareth. 

stripped of His clothes, was laid at full 
length upon it. His arms were stretched 
along the transverse beam, and through 
each hand a strong iron spike was driven 
firmly into the wood. The legs were then 
drawn down at full length, and through each 
foot separately, or through both, placed one 
over the other, another spike tore its way 
through the bones and muscles and nerves 
and quivering flesh. It is believed that it 
was at this point of the process that the 
Divine Sufferer uttered that most wonderful 
and benevolent of all prayers, " Father, 

FORGIVE THEM, FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT 
THEY DO." 

It was customary for the governor to put 
on the cross a writing signifying the crime 
of the victim. In the case of Jesus the 
writing was/' Jesus of Nazareth, the King 
of the Jews." This was written in the 
official Latin, in the usual Greek, and in the 
Hebrew, that all might know that this per- 
son, crucified between two thieves, was the 
" King of the Jew t s." This title was offen- 
sive to the chief priests, who desired Pilate 
so to change it as to read, " He said, I am 



The Trial. igg 

the King of the Jews." Pilate answered, 
" What I have written, I have written. " His 
motive may have had a political as well as 
a sarcastic tinge. You charged Him with 
sedition, making Himself the King of the 
Jews, and you appealed to my loyalty to 
Caesar to crucify Him : I vindicate my 
loyalty, and I crucify Him as "the King of 
the Jews." 

Then, with its " living human burden hang- 
ing upon it with helpless agony," the cross 
was raised by the soldiers to a perpendicular 
position, and made firm in the earth. The 
feet were raised only a little from the ground. 
Thus the sufferer was in the reach of any 
one disposed to smite, to mock, or in any 
other way to insult or torment Him. 

Having erected the cross, the soldiers pro- 
ceeded to divide among themselves His gar- 
ments, " and made four parts, to every soldier 
a part." The coat, not being made of differ- 
ent pieces, but " without seam, woven from 
the top throughout," they would not rend, 
and thus make it useless, but determined 
to cast lots for it ; thus fulfilling the pro- 
phecy, " They parted My raiment among 



200 Jesus of Nazareth. 

them, and for My vesture they did cast 
lots. " ■ 

The arms being extended, and sustaining 
a part of the weight of the body, the least 
motion produced intense pain. The disturbed 
circulation of the blood, with its accumula- 
tion in the head and heart, became the source 
of inexpressible misery. The inflammation, 
arising from the exposure of the wounds to 
the air, and their constant irritation by the 
pressure of the nails, occasioned feverish ex- 
citement and intense thirst. Whilst endur- 
ing these bodily sufferings " they that passed 
by reviled Him, wagging their heads " in 
scornful insult. " The soldiers mocked Him, 
. . . offering Him vinegar, and saying, If Thou 
be the King of the Jews, save Thyself." The 
chief priests, with the scribes and elders, de- 
rided and mocked Him. " Let Christ, the 
King of Israel, descend now from the cross, 
that we may see and believe." Strange, 
though true, " the thieves cast the same in 
His teeth ; " they " railed on Him, saying, If 
Thou be Christ, save Thyself and us." What 
a chorus of scorn, derision, and malediction ! 

x Psa. xxii. 1 8. (Septuagint.) 



The Trial. 201 

This indeed was the hour and the power of 
darkness. " When reviled, He reviled not 
again." But the moment that one penitent 
tremulous word of petition was heard amid 
the tumultuous shoutings of scorn, it stirred 
His tenderest sympathies. One thief rebuked 
his fellow, saying, " Dost not thou fear God, 
seeing thou art in the same condemnation ? 
And we indeed justly; for we receive the 
due reward of our deeds ; but this man 
hath done nothing amiss." Who can tell 
what memories of a whole life, clear, distinct, 
and individual, with lightning speed, rushed 
through his mind ? Who can tell how sor- 
row and condemnation lashed him with 
scorpion power, as each sin stood out fresh 
on the tablet of memory ? Who can tell 
what sinkings of heart and utter despair 
overwhelmed him ? Who can tell what 
long-neglected truth, or what he had heard 
or seen of Christ's miracles of mercy, 
now quicken his desire and hope ? What 
the Holy Spirit did then and there no man 
knoweth. But the Lord Jesus knew all. He 
saw in the thief real penitence and faith. 
The thief confessed and condemned his sins ; 



202 Jesus of Nazareth 

he acknowledged the justice of and accepted 
the penalty of his guilt. He avowed his 
confidence in the innocency of Christ, and 
that He w r as the true Messiah. Then the 
simple, touching, confiding prayer, " Lord, 
remember me when Thou comest into Thy 
kingdom." 

This prayer of faith so appealed to the 
wondrous love of Christ that it brought an 
immediate and assuring answer: " This day 
shalt thou be with Me in paradise." 

Now the sun itself withdrew its light, and 
held back every cheering beam. " From the 
sixth hour there was darkness over all the land 
unto the ninth hour." Pain and sorrow has a 
double power when endured in the silent lone 
hours of darkness. How the sufferer longs for 
the break of day ! The light of heaven, though 
not curative, still relieves the heavy pres- 
sure and makes the pain and the sorrow more 
endurable. But here there was darkness, 
unnatural darkness — gloom, supernatural and 
terrific. It continued through all the un- 
utterable anguish which drank up the life, 
and which rolled in heavy surges over the 
soul of the Redeemer. He suffered and died 



, The Trial. 203 

in those dark hours. 1 Here Christianity was 
bom. Bright hours come out of the dark- 
ness. " Weeping may endure for a night, 
but joy cometh in the morning." The angels 
the holy angels, the ready attendants upon 
His will, the angel who announced His 
conception, the angels who at His birth sang 
heavenly music, the angels charged " to keep 
Him, and in their hands to bear Him up," and 
who ministered unto Him after His long 
fasting and severe temptations of the devil, 
and who strengthened Him after His agony 
in the garden, drew back. When He hung 
upon the cross they were not there. In this 
hour of His deepest sorrow, when all was 
dark, and the fierce powers of hell were in 
revelry, then, when forsaken byiHis disciples, 
forsaken by the sun in the heavens, then 
not an angel stood by. The Sufferer was 

1 " And it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness 
over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was 
darkened." " The early Fathers," writes Dr. Farrar, "ap- 
pealed to pagan authorities — the historian Phallus, the chro- 
nicler Phlegon — for such a darkness ; but we have no means of 
testing the accuracy of these references, and it is quite possible 
that the darkness was a local gloom which hung densely over 
the guilty city and its immediate neighbourhood." — Life of 
Christy vol. ii. p. 414. 



204 Jesus of Nazareth. 

all alone ! This was not the worst ; the 
deepest depth was the forsaking of His 
Father. His Heavenly Father then forsook 
Him. Oh, the measureless anguish of that 
piteous cry, " My God ! My God ! why hast 
Thou forsaken Me ? " All the bodily suffer- 
ings, all the scoffings and insults, all the 
shutting out of the light of heaven, all the 
desertion of men and angels, He could bear, 
had borne, without one word of complaint ; 
but, oh, when His Father, His God, forsook 
Him, then He was filled with heaviness ; then 
His soul was exceeding sorrowful even unto 
death ; then grief came with such wither- 
ing, crushing power that He could bear up 
no longer. But, with holy submission and un- 
wavering confidence, " He cried with a loud 
voice, Father, into Thy hands I commend 
My spirit;" " It is finished;" then Flis 
swollen heart burst; " He bowed His head;" 
" He gave up the ghost." He died all alone. 
Blessed Jesus ! the bowing of Thy head 
was death indeed, — death such as none other 
could die. The shedding of Thy blood was 
the offering of atonement for the sins of the 
world. 



The Trial. 205 

One touching incident shines out amid the 
gloom. " Now there stood by the cross of 
Jesus His mother." During the long weary 
hours of sorrow and anguish, the mother and 
the beloved disciple had urged their way up 
very near to the cross. When Jesus saw them 
standing by, tenderly and sadly He thought of 
the future that awaited her. He knew that 
fierce tumults and persecutions would gather 
up their strength to crush His cause. As He 
could make no gesture with His hands, nailed 
as they were to the cross, He bent His head, 
and with the utmost tenderness and affection 
said, " Woman, behold thy son ; " and to John, 
" Behold thy mother." They caught these 
words of love, this dying legacy. The legacy 
was promptly accepted. From that hour — 
peradventure from that moment — John led 
her away, that her motherly heart might 
not be rent with unavailing agony as the 
cruel work of crucifixion passed on into 
increasingly intense sufferings. " And from 
that hour that disciple took her to his own 
home." Jesus committed His mother, then 
most probably a widow, not to Joseph of 
Arimathaea, a rich and honourable councillor, 



206 Jesus of Nazareth. 

" a disciple, but secretly for fear of the Jews ; " 
not to Nicodemus, a rich member of the 
Sanhedrim, who acknowledged Christ " as 
a teacher come from God; " not to His own 
brethren, who did not believe in Him, 1 but 
He gave her to John, an avowed disciple. 
Though possibly poor in this world's goods 
and honours, He knew that John would stand 
by her through all perils. 

Other warm but sorrowing hearts were 
witnesses of His death. " Many women 
were there beholding afar off, which followed 
Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto Him : 
among whom was Mary Magdalene, and 
Mary the mother of James and Joses, and 
the mother of Zebedee's children. " 

Brave, loving women ! 

"Not she with traitorous kiss the Saviour stung, 
Not she denied Him with unholy tongue, 
She, when apostles shrank, could dangers brave : 
Last at the cross, and earliest at the grave." 

The Lord expired at the ninth hour, answer- 
ing to our three o'clock in the afternoon, 
when the evening sacrifice was being offered 
in the Temple, when the priest would be 

1 John vii. 5. 



The Trial. 207 

burning incense in the holy place, whilst the 
people were praying without. It was at this 
critical moment that the veil of the Temple, 
by unseen hands, was rent, not upwards from 
the bottom, as could easily have been done, 
but from the top downwards, high up, beyond 
unaided human reach. This miraculous 
rending of the veil, accompanied, as it doubt- 
less was, with the sound of tearing its thick 
fabric, must have attracted the notice of the 
attending priests, and filled them with awe 
and terror, as it laid open to vulgar gaze the 
Holy of Holies, into which alone the high 
priest was permitted to enter but once a year, 
and that the day of atonement. 

Simultaneous with, or hard upon it, the 
deep foundations of the earth were shaken ; 
the tombs of the dead were burst open ; a 
wild consternation seized all the people, who, 
in their terror, smote their breasts. " The 
centurion and they that were with him 
feared greatly." 

This rending of the veil of the Temple was 
not a mere incident : it indicated that the 
time had come when the restricted exclusive- 
ness of the Jewish typical dispensation had 



208 Jesus of Nazaretho 

come to an end : it prefigured " the entering 
of Christ, as the high priest of His people, 
into the presence of His Father, there to 
present the atonement He had made for their 
sins." " For Christ is not entered into the 
holy places made with hands, which are the 
figures of the true ; but into heaven itself, 
now to appear in the presence of God for us." 1 
This rending further denotes the removal of 
all restrictions, and that access to God is now 
free and open to all: " Having therefore, 
'brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest 
by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, 
which He hath consecrated for us, through 
the veil, that is to say, His flesh." 2 

We have now another illustration of the 
punctiliousness with which the high priests 
and scribes adhered to ceremonial observ- 
ances whilst hardening their hearts against 
all mercy, and consummating the murder of 
an innocent man. 

" The Jews therefore, because it was the 
preparation, that the bodies should not remain 
upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that 
sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate 

1 Heb. ix. 24. 8 Heb. x. 19, 20. 



The Trial. 209 

that their legs might be broken, and that they 
might be taken away." The design of this 
was to hasten death. In obedience to the 
orders of Pilate, the soldiers broke the legs of 
the two thieves. " But when they eame to 
Jesus, and saw that He was dead already, 
they brake not His legs: but one of the 
soldiers,'' either through wanton cruelty or 
to secure the actual death, " with a spear 
pierced His side, and forthwith came there 
out blood and water." By these peculiar 
incidents these soldiers unwittingly fulfilled 
two remarkable predictions : " A bone of 
Him shall not be broken ; " " They shall look 
on Him whom they pierced." They also 
established beyond all doubt the fact that 
Jesus had really died. The decomposed 
blood — the result, in all probability, of mental 
agony, and the sign of a literally " broken 
heart " 1 — made it impossible to maintain, 
with any show of truth, as some have ven- 
tured to assert, that our Lord was only in a 
swoon — the semblance of death — when taken 
from the cross. On the profound interpreta- 

1 See Dr. Stroud. Inquiry into the Physical Cause oj the 
Death of Christ 

is 



210 Jesus of Nazareth. 

tion of the symbol, as given by the beloved 
disciple, 1 we cannot enter now. Enough to 
say that it represented the sacrifice and the 
purification, which were the two great realities 
of Calvary. 

x See I John v. 6. 



X. 

THE BURIAL. 




CHAPTER X. 

THE BURIAL. 

|hat Christ was actually dead admits 
of no serious doubt. That " Pilate 
marvelled if He were already dead " 
does not sanction the surmise of some, that it 
was only a seeming death, a fainting fit, a 
syncope, a temporary suspension of the animal 
functions. Recall the facts attendant upon 
His arrest. He was seized and bound with 
cords, and hurried away to Annas, then to 
Caiaphas. He was compelled to stand the 
whole time of His trial. He was faint from 
the want of food and the loss of blood from 
scourging. During these long - continued 
exhausting hours there were no alleviations, 
no intervals for quietude and rest, and no 
opportunity for sleep. From the moment 



214 Jesus of Nazareth. 

when they seized Him, by night and by day, 
with unrelenting perseverance, they crowded 
Him on until they nailed Him to the cross. 
What He suffered whilst hanging there no 
mortal mind can conceive. The mental agony 
and soul travail in the garden so exhausted 
His humanity that an angel was sent to 
strengthen Him. No wonder, when forsaken 
by His Father, and no strengthening angel 
near, that He bowed His head and gave up 
the ghost. The wonder is, not that He died 
so soon, but that He endured so long. 
Pilate was satisfied that He was dead. 

Among those who witnessed the execution 
was Joseph of Arimathaea, a man distin- 
guished for his birth, wealth, and office. He 
was a native of Arimathaea, in the territory 
of Benjamin, on the mountain range of 
Ephraim, not far from Gibeah. His resi- 
dence was either in Jerusalem or its vicinity. 
He is described as an " honourable coun- 
sellor. ,, It is the opinion of the learned 
Macknight, that he was one of the council 
of Pilate, who aided him in managing the 
affairs of the province, and was personally 
and intimately acquainted with the governor. 



The Burial. 215 

He was also a member of the Sanhedrim, for 
it is particularly recorded " the same had not 
consented to the counsel and deed of them," 
the Sanhedrim, to put Christ to death. It is 
also stated that he was a " good man, and 
just," who " waited for the kingdom of God," 
" being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for 
fear of the Jews." Though convinced, from 
his knowledge of the prophets, and the 
manifested works and teachings of Jesus, 
that He was the Messiah, still, through 
timidity or imagined prudence, his convic- 
tions were kept in abeyance by the malig- 
nant attitude of the rulers. He was not yet 
prepared to meet the peril of excommunica- 
tion. But the strange scenes which he had 
witnessed deeply moved him. His sorrow 
and his indignation inspired him with un- 
wonted courage. Such were the natural 
causes of his resolve. But we doubt not that 
the Spirit of God, with persuasive power, 
touched his heart and nerved him to resolute 
action. Now his love for Jesus is stronger 
than his fear of the Jews. He knew that the 
body of his Lord, if it were treated as those 
of malefactors generally, would either be 



216 Jesus of Nazareth. 

buried at the foot of the cross on which He 
died, or would be hurried to the potter's field, 
and there consigned to a dishonoured grave ; 
or, when the flesh was removed and con- 
sumed, the bones, and only the bones, would 
be deposited in the ancestral tomb. To pre- 
vent this ignominy, he " came and went in 
boldly unto Pilate and craved," " begged," 
"besought" the "body of Jesus." These 
strong expressions show the intensity of his 
purpose. Had Peter or John, or any one, 
or all, of the known disciples, made this 
request, Pilate, aware of the feelings and 
suspicions of the rulers of the Jews, might 
not have consented. But when Joseph, his 
personal friend and a counsellor, and known 
to all as a man of wealth and station, a 
" good man, and just," incapable of any 
intrigue or dishonourable conduct, craved 
the body, he granted the request. 

Joseph, when he had taken dow T n the body 
from the cross, " bought fine linen," "and 
wrapped the body in the linen." The body, 
being washed, was wrapped in a sheet, then 
it w r as swathed with long bandages of linen, 
a few inches wide, tightly around the body. 



The Burial. 217 

Thus prepared, Joseph laid the body " in his 
own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the 
rock/' " wherein never man before was laid," 
" and rolled a great stone to the door of the 
sepulchre, and departed.'' These few facts 
illustrate the characteristics of Joseph. He 
was just, but cautious; honourable, but fearful; 
loving, but timid; yet when the circumstances 
demanded, his sense of justice and honour, 
under the control of love, over-rode his 
timidity, fear, and caution, and made him 
bold, resolute, and courageous. 

Nicodemus also was a witness of the execu- 
tion. He w r as a Pharisee, and a member 
of the Sanhedrim. He too was timid and 
cautious, and not forward to commit him- 
self to an unpopular cause. He had mani- 
fested candour, and a desire for instruction, 
w T hen he came to Jesus by night, saying, 
" Rabbi, we know that Thou art a teacher 
come from God : for no man can do these 
miracles that Thou doest, except God be with 
him." He had stood up for Christ before the 
Sanhedrim, saying, " Doth our law judge any 
man before it hear him, and know what he 
doeth ? " The boldness and unreserve of 



2i8 Jesus of Nazareth. 

Joseph, whose previous sentiments he knew, 
awakened a kindred feeling. " There came 
also Nicodemus . . . and brought a mixture 
of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound 
weight." " Then took they the body of 
Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with 
the spices, as the manner of the Jews is 
to bury." Thus, though Christ " died like 
a malefactor, He was buried like a king." 
Love so wrought in Nicodemus as to con- 
quer his selfish fear, and, in this most trying 
hour, when the malignant hatred of the 
rulers had secured the death of Christ, it 
drew him forth into open and avowed dis- 
cipleship. Where there is true love, such is 
its nature that it must manifest itself. The 
Providence of God will also so appeal to it as 
certainly to call it forth, no matter how for- 
bidding may be the surrounding circum- 
stances. Thus it was with Joseph and 
Nicodemus ; and they but illustrate what is 
often seen. For though love to Christ may be 
feeble in its beginnings, and in conflict with 
opposing selfish influences, still it will grow 
and strengthen, and overcome all other powers, 
and assert and maintain its supremacy. In 



The Burial. 219 

the Providence of God these honourable and 
just men were held back until the fitting 
opportunity should arrive, when their per- 
sonal services were indispensable. Thus 
God brought good out of the evil of secret 
discipleship. Thus the body of Christ was 
so placed as to secure its whereabouts and 
its identity, that the proofs of its resurrection 
might be clear and indisputable. 

The jealous vigilance of the Jewish rulers 
eagerly noticed all these movements of 
Joseph and Nicodemus; and that no oppor- 
tunity might be afforded for removing the 
body from the tomb, "the chief priests and 
Pharisees came together unto Pilate, saying, 
Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, 
while He was yet alive, After three days I 
will rise again. Command therefore that the 
sepulchre be made sure until the third day, 
lest His disciples come by night, and steal 
Him away, and say unto the people, He is 
risen from the dead : so the last error shall 
be worse than the first. Pilate said unto 
them, Ye have a watch : go your way, make 
it as sure as ye can. So they went, and 
made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, 



220 Jesus of Nazareth. 

and setting a watch." Thus, under the wise 
arrangement of Providence, both love and 
wrath, both friend and enemy, united to guard 
the body and render the proof of the resur- 
rection grand and triumphant. 

THE WOMEN. 

Loving women were there, and attended 
the funeral. " Now there stood by the cross 
of Jesus His mother, and His mother's 
sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary 
Magdalene." " And many women were there, 
beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from 
Galilee." 

First stands the Virgin Mother, who, 
beyond all parallel, was the most interested 
and distinguished mourner. She did not 
stand " beholding afar off." She urged her 
way forward until she stood near, very near, 
the cross, so near that she could watch the 
beating of His labouring heart and hear the 
deep breathings of His heaving breast. She 
read the tender sympathy of His loving eyes 
as they turned upon her. She treasured the 
last words He ever spoke to her : " Woman, 
behold thy son!" "Behold thy mother!" 



The Trial. 221 

She could bear no more : the mother's heart 
was full ; her sorrow was too deep for w 7 ords, 
too deep for tears. " And from that hour that 
disciple took her to his own home." They 
moved away. But the Sufferer endured until 
aM was finished, then He gave up the ghost. 

Mary Magdalene is so named from the 
place of her birth or residence, and perhaps to 
distinguish her from the other Marys. She 
had been afflicted with a demoniacal posses- 
sion: " Out of whom went seven devils." The 
number seven is the symbol of perfection, and 
here denotes the entireness and severity of 
the possession, rather than the number of 
devils. The casting out of seven devils from 
Mary Magdalene is no more a proof that she 
was a dissolute and impure character, than 
does the casting out of the devil from the 
daughter of the Syrophenician woman prove 
that this maiden was a prostitute. The too 
common belief that Mary Magdalene was a 
woman of unchaste character has no founda- 
tion in the Scriptures. It rests only on vague 
tradition, which the best of the early Fathers 
rejected. 

This Mary has been strangely confounded 



222 Jesus of Nazareth. 

with " the woman " who is called " a sin- 
ner," who anointed the feet of Jesus. 1 There 
are but two occasions on which the feet of 
Christ were anointed. In neither of these 
are we told that Mary Magdalene took any 
part. The first occurred in the house of a 
Pharisee, perhaps in Capernaum, where "a 
woman in the city, which was a sinner . . . 
brought an alabaster box of ointment, " and 
anointed His feet. So well known was her cha- 
racter that the Pharisee who had invited Christ 
to eat with him was shocked that the Lord 
allowed this fallen and polluted woman to 
touch Him. The Lord the rather confirmed 
this view of her character when He said, 
" Her sins, which are many, are forgiven ; for 
she loved much." Here are sins forgiven, 
but no intimation of devils cast out. This 
unnamed woman appears to have been a 
resident of Capernaum ; but Mary was of 
Magdala, on the shore of Gennesaret. 

The second anointing took place at 
" Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper," 
when Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, 
anointed the feet of Jesus. The incidents of 

x Luke vii. 37. 



The Burial. 223 

this latter case much resemble those named 
of the woman who "was a sinner." The 
difference, however, in time and place forbid 
that these can be identical. 

How, then, stands the evidence? Luke 
vii. 37 tells of a fallen woman of Capernaum, 
whose name is not given, but whose many sins 
the Saviour forgave. Subsequently, chap, 
viii. 2, Luke makes mention of " certain 
women, which had been healed of evil 
spirits and infirmities," and gives promi- 
nence to "Mary called Magdalene, out of 
whom went seven devils." The record fur- 
ther says that Mary Magdalene, in company 
with " Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's 
steward, and Susanna, and many others," 
ministered unto Christ of their substance. 
I think I am warranted in saying there is 
not the slightest trustworthy evidence that 
Mary Magdalene was ever a loose, abandoned 
woman. On the other hand, there is evidence 
that she was a lady of property and station. 
Having experienced healing mercies at the 
hands of Christ, she gratefully devoted her- 
self and her wealth to His service. All the 
subsequent references to her are most com- 



224 Jesus of Nazareth. 

mendable. After ministering to Jesus in 
Galilee, she accompanied Him from Galilee 
to Jerusalem on His last visit to the Temple. 
She was with Him at His death, and as 
near to the cross as the Roman troops 
and the thronging crowds would permit. 
She was present at His burial, " and beheld 
where He was laid." She was early at the 
tomb on the morning of the third day, and a 
prominent actor amid the stirring scenes of 
the resurrection. In all that is recorded of her 
the evidence is clear that she was affectionate, 
generous, exemplary, and courageous. Her 
resolute spirit gave her prominence. This 
maybe the reason why some of the evangelists 
mention only this Mary when it is evident that 
other women were present. Religion did not 
change her natural temperament, but gave 
shape and direction to it. Her lave and her 
courage stand out without a cloud. There is 
nothing certain in tradition as to her subse- 
quent activity, or the time, manner, and place 
of her death. We cannot doubt that she 
filled up her days with loving cheerful service, 
and that, through grace, she had a glorious 
welcome to the presence of her Lord. 



The Burial. 225 

Mary, the wife of Cleophas, being 
the sister of the Virgin Mother, her sons, viz. 
James the Less, Simon, Joses, and Judas (not 
Iscariot), were cousins to the Saviour, and, 
according to Hebrew usage, were called his 
brethren. 1 She was one of the women who 
followed Christ and ministered unto Him. 
She was present at the crucifixion, fol- 
lowed the body to the sepulchre, and sat 
disconsolate at the tomb. These few glimpses 
are enough to develop her real character. 
She was true-hearted and affectionate. Her 
courage was quiet, but invincible. Not so 
energetic and enterprising, perhaps, as Mary 
Magdalene, she was as enduring and unwearied 
in her devotion to Christ. We have no 
record or tradition of her subsequent life and 
death. But what inspiration has written of 
her is so bright and decided that no shadow 
of doubt clouds her career. 

Salome is called the mother of Zebedee's 
children, viz. James the Elder, and John the 

1 Such is the conclusion which I have been led to adopt 
on a difficult question. Into other theories respecting the 
" brethren" of Jesus, or into the question whether Mary the 
wife of Cleophas (Clopas) was different from the sister of the 
Virgin (John xix. 25), this is not the place to enter. 
16 



226 Jesus of Nazareth. 

evangelist. She was one of the women "who 
followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto 
Him." She was at the crucifixion, and at the 
burial, and " beheld where they laid Him." 
Before His death and resurrection, she had 
mistaken views of the nature of Christ's 
kingdom, and her ambition for the advance- 
ment of her sons cropped out when she asked 
that " one might sit on His right hand, and 
the other on His left." Still, she was stedfast 
in her devotion, and in the most trying scenes 
her love was strong and unfaltering. She 
has a good record, and doubtless finished her 
course with joy. 

The above are all who are mentioned by 
name; " many others" who had come up 
with Him to Jerusalem had witnessed His 
death, and no doubt took part in His sepul- 
ture. Their " names are written in heaven ! " 

But with the shade of that sad evening 
the Sabbath had begun. These brave and 
loving ones must rest awhile, " according to 
the commandment," before they could com- 
plete the mournful last offices to which affec- 
tion clings. But, courage ! The weary hours 
pass, and the morning cometh. 



XI. 

THE RESURRECTION. 



CHAPTER XL 



THE RESURRECTION. 1 




uring the interval between the going 
down of the sun on Friday and the ris- 
ing of the same on the first day of the 
week, the most important of events occurred. 
It was the resurrection of Christ. It was 
seen by no human eye. How it was accom- 
plished is not stated. Perhaps the angels, 
who had a special charge concerning His 

1 Students of the Bible find it difficult to harmonise, with 
perfect accuracy, all the incidents connected with the resurrec- 
tion of Christ as they are recorded by the different evangelists. 
Without entering into the discussion of that subject, it is 
sufficient to say that, after much reflection, I have followed 
substantially the order laid down by Professor Edward 
Robinson, D.D., ll.d., in his Harmony of the Four Gospels. 
As far as practicable, I have given the incidents in the exact 
language of the evangelists, with such remarks as seemed 
called for to elucidate the narrative. 



230 Jesus of Nazareth. 

earthly mission, and who often ministered 
unto Him, were the Divinely-appointed agents. 
But the more probable, if not the certain 
solution is, that He arose by His own power. 
Did He not say, when speaking of His body, 
" Destroy this temple, and in three days I will 
raise it up?" and, again, " I lay down My life, 
that I might take it again. I have power to 
lay it down, and I have power to take it 
again?" Only some of the attendant circum- 
stances are recorded, whilst the evidences of 
the fact are numerous and complete. " There 
was a great earthquake : for the angel of the 
Lord descended from heaven, and came and 
rolled back the stone from the door, and sat 
upon it. His countenance was like lightning, 
and his raiment white as snow : and for fear 
of him the keepers did shake, and became as 
dead men." Soon after this earthquake, and 
the descent of the angel to roll away the stone, 
the women came and found the tomb empty. 
From these facts it is clear that the resur- 
rection took place before the early dawn. 
The Lord was laid in the sepulchre before 
sunset on Friday. He rose in the night, 
between the sundown of Saturday and the 



The Resurrection. 231 

early dawn of Sunday. Thus the time He 
lay in the tomb could not be less than 
thirty-six or forty hours, and this met the 
oft-repeated prediction, " And the third day 
He shall rise again." ■ 

THE VISIT TO THE SEPULCHRE. 

It was strange to see several lone women, 
in the early morning twilight of the first 
day of the week, going forth from Jerusalem, 
to seek a tomb in a secluded garden. 
This tomb, they knew, was guarded with 
exacting vigilance by Roman soldiers. In 
it lay the body of a man recently cruci- 
fied, — one whose life, and especially whose 
death, had intensely stirred the wonder and 
apprehension of all in the Holy City. These 
women had been witnesses of the strange 
and fearful sights which convulsed the whole 
population with fear. They had felt that 
unnatural darkness which, from " the sixth 
to the ninth hour," like the pall of death, 
spread " over all the land." They had heard 
the mutterings of the earthquake. They had 
felt the solid earth tremble and reel under 

1 Matt. xx. 19 ; Mark x. 34. 



232 Jesus of Nazareth. 

their feet. They had heard the rending of 
rocks, and the wild and piercing cry from the 
sanctuary, " The vail of the temple is rent in 
twain from the top to the bottom. " Amidst 
all these terrible scenes they had heard the 
Sufferer, "with a loud voice, cry, My God, My 
God, why hast Thou forsaken Me? " " Father, 
into Thy hands I commend My spirit ; " " It 
is finished. " Then, in that dark hour of deep 
and awful silence, they saw 7 Him bow 7 His 
head in death. The centurion " feared 
greatly," and said, " Truly this was the Son 
of God." " And all the people that came 
together to that sight, beholding the things 
which were done, smote their breasts and re- 
turned." Through all these strange scenes of 
terror those women had stood firm. Though 
sorrow and anguish tore their hearts, they 
deserted Him not ; they stedfastly looked 
on, and witnessed His death. 

Their hearts were comforted when they 
saw 7 Joseph of Arimathasa and Nicodemus 
take the body down from the cross, wrap 
it in fine linen with spices, and lay it in 
a " new 7 tomb, hewn out from a rock, 
wherein never man was laid," and roll to the 



The Resurrection. 233 

entrance a great stone. They " beheld the 
sepulchre, and how his body was laid." This 
was not that insatiable curiosity which im- 
pudently and irreverently crowds forward to 
unwelcome places. No, no : it was a personal 
affectionate concern that the body of their 
Lord should receive due respect in its burial. 
Having done all that they then could, and as 
the sun was nearing the western horizon, 
" they returned, and bought sweet spices and 
ointments; and rested the sabbath day, accord- 
ing to the commandment ; " " for that Sabbath 
was an high day," being at once a Sabbath 
and a Passover. 

" And when the Sabbath was past, Mary 
Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, 
and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that 
they might come and anoint Him." As they 
had rested on the Sabbath, " according to the 
commandment," this purchase was prob- 
ably made after sunset. The requisite pre- 
paration of the material for the completed 
burial took place during the evening, and 
perhaps far into the night. 

" In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to 
dawn toward the first day of the week, came 



234 Jesus of Nazareth. 

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see 
the sepulchre." " And very early in the 
morning the first day of the week, they came 
unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun." 
" The first day of the week cometh Mary 
Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto 
the sepulchre." All agree that the visit of 
these women to the tomb was on the first 
day of the week, and that it was " very early 
in the morning," " as it began to dawn," 
" when it was yet dark : " clearly intimating 
that it was in the very early twilight. 

The mission of these women was one of 
love. On their way, as they talked together 
of the strange events which so terrified the 
whole city, they remembered the fact that a 
heavy stone had been rolled up to close the 
tomb; and "they said among themselves, 
Who shall roll us away the stone from the 
door of the sepulchre ? " On this it is sup- 
posed that Mary Magdalene, with her char- 
acteristic energy and courage, ran ahead, and, 
arriving at the tomb, was amazed and filled 
with consternation when she found that the 
stone had been rolled away. Deeper still was 
her consternation — nay, her agony, when, on 



The Resurrection. 235 

entering, she found not the body. Supposing 
that it had been removed, " she runneth, and 
cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other dis- 
ciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, 
They have taken away the Lord out of the 
sepulchre, and we know not where they have 
laid Him." 

The other women, when they arrived, 
" entering the sepulchre," saw one who is vari- 
ously described as " an angel," or messenger, 
and " a young man, sitting on the right side, 
clothed in a long white garment." " As they 
were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two 
men stood by them in shining garments." 
Here is a striking illustration of how dif- 
ferently the same thing appears to different 
persons, viewed either from different stand- 
points or under different states of mind. 
All, however, agree that a Divine messenger 
said unto them, " Fear not ye ; " " Be not 
affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, 
which was crucified : " " Why seek ye the 
living among the dead ? He is not here, but 
is risen : Come, see the place where the Lord 
lay." Being thus quieted, comforted, and 
assured, for they now " remembered His 



236 Jesus of Nazareth. 

words," the messenger bade them " go 
quickly, and tell His disciples that He is risen 
from the dead." " And they departed quickly 
from the sepulchre, with fear and great joy; 
and did run to bring His disciples word." 
While thus hastening to bear this joyful 
intelligence, " behold, Jesus met them, say- 
saying, All hail. And they came and held 
Him by the feet, and worshipped Him. Then 
said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid : go tell 
My brethren that they go into Galilee, and 
there shall they see Me." 

When the women returned from the 
sepulchre, and told to the disciples all that 
they knew, " their words seemed to them 
as idle tales, and they believed them not." 
The disciples were then in a very despondent 
state of mind. They had certainly seen their 
Lord crucified, and actually buried, and his 
tomb guarded by Roman soldiers. They knew 
of the wrathful vigilance and the unconquer- 
able hatred of the Jewish rulers; and how 
could it be that these women had actually 
seen Jesus alive again ? In their perplexity 
and fear, these women must have been de- 
ceived. True, they knew that Jesus had 



The Resurrection. 237 

brought back to life the daughter of Jairus, 
and the only son of the widow of Nain, 
and Lazarus also, who had been dead four 
days ; but then Christ had miraculous 
powers from heaven. But now that He is 
dead, who is to raise Him from the grave ? 
It has never yet been known that a dead man 
raised himself to life ; and how can it be that 
Christ is alive ? Alas, how strange that they 
did not cherish, with intense strength and 
confidence, His oft-repeated assurance that 
He would rise on the third day! Had they 
hidden these promises in their hearts, they 
would not have been despondent and un- 
believing. The tidings of the women would 
not have seemed " as idle tales," but words 
of truth, the confirmation of Christ's own 
words ; and with gladness and great joy they 
would have hastened to the appointed place 
of meeting in Galilee, that there they might 
see Him. 

We must not judge them with severity, 
for they were but men, and were placed in 
circumstances unparalleled. Such strange and 
terrible things had never before concentrated 
in so short a space of time. All without 



238 Jesus of Nazareth. 

them was wild and terrific. Wrath and 
clamour and murder swayed the masses, 
driven on by the unrelenting malice of the 
Jewish rulers. The forces of nature were 
convulsed ; the earth quaking, the rocks 
rending, the graves opening, the sun like 
blood, the darkness at noon dense, deep, 
awful. Dread and terror, in their crushing 
power, paled every cheek and curdled the 
blood in every heart. Whichever way they 
looked, no kind eye met theirs ; no re- 
sponse of sympathy met their appeals. They 
were shut up to themselves, as by encircling 
walls of adamant. In all the world around 
them there was no response to their sorrow. 
They had sorrow : their Lord, whom they 
loved and trusted, was dead; their hopes were 
dead; their plans were dead; all was desola- 
tion. Under these conditions it is not strange 
that the words of the women that He was 
alive " seemed to them as idle tales, and they 
believed them not." The news was too good 
to be true. Unbelief on this one point was 
not unnatural. So, when Peter was released 
from prison, in answer to the prayer which 
" was made without ceasing of the church 



The Resurrection. 239 

unto God for him," and went " to the house of 
Mary, where many were gathered together 
praying," and " knocked at the gate," and 
"Rhoda, when she knew Peter's voice, opened 
not the gate for gladness," — joy so sudden and 
unexpected having disturbed her judgment, — 
" she ran in," and told the praying circle 
"that Peter stood at the door." Did they 
believe her ? Nay, they said, " Thou art mad." 
When " she constantly affirmed " that Peter 
was there, "they said, It is his angel." They 
would not believe in the answer to their 
own prayers until Peter, who " continued 
knocking," stood before them and spake unto 
them. Then seeing was believing. I think 
the disciples to whom the women carried 
the news of the resurrection of Christ were 
far more excusable for their unbelief in that 
fact than were these praying disciples for 
their unbelief in the release of Peter. 

PETER AND JOHN. 

Mary Magdalene found Peter and John, 
and told them that the tomb was open and 
the body was not there. This so stirred and 
roused them that " they ran both together: 



240 Jesus of Nazareth. 

and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and 
came first to the sepulchre. And he stooping 
down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes 
lying; yet went he not in. Then cometh 
Simon Peter following him, and went into 
the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, 
and the napkin, that was about His head, not 
lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped 
together in a place by itself. Then went in 
also that other disciple, which came first to 
the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. " 
Believed what ? Not that the body was gone. 
This he knew before, from the report of Mary 
Magdalene and the vacant tomb. He believed 
in the actual resurrection. The process by 
which he reached this conviction was simple 
and demonstrative. The napkin, " wrapped 
together in a place by itself," was a small, 
very small, item, one which by most would 
have been overlooked; but to his logical 
mind it poured in a flood of resistless evi- 
dence, which permanently settled his belief 
that Christ had actually risen from the dead. 
He knew that things small in human esti- 
mation played a conspicuous and essential 
part in the wonderful workings of Divine 



The Resurrection. 241 

providence. The murderer, who, alone and 
in the most secret manner, executes his foul 
purpose, is detected and identified by some 
little thing which he could not have antici- 
pated. Or by some trivial circumstance the 
most satisfactory proof of the innocence of 
an accused person is made evident. In like 
manner, the placing of this napkin relieved 
the mind of John from all the suspicions 
which may have disturbed it. He saw at 
once that the other disciples had not taken 
away the body while the soldiers slept. He 
came to this conclusion, not simply from his 
confidence in his fellow - disciples that they 
would neither steal nor fabricate a falsehood; 
nor from the fact that the disciples were in no 
mood for such a perilous enterprise ; nor 
from the fact that he knew of their where- 
abouts during all that sorrowful night ; but 
from the position of the napkin. Had the 
disciples taken away the body, they would 
not have stripped it, but would have hurried 
away with it, with all the linen clothes. Or, 
if anything had been dropped, in the hurry 
of so perilous an enterprise, it would have 
been loosely, carelessly placed where it fell. 
17 



242 Jesus of Nazareth. 

It would be inconceivable that the disciples 
should pause to " wrap together " the nap- 
kin, and to lay it " in a place by itself." 

He perceived, again, that the body had 
not been stolen by thieves, for the sake of 
gain. Such a supposition might naturally 
have been entertained by him on his way to 
the tomb. He knew that many thousands 
of strangers were at that season gathered 
to Jerusalem from all parts of the country, 
and that among these doubtless there were 
dishonest, unscrupulous men. Such, having 
heard of the munificence of Joseph and Nico- 
demus in the burial of the convict crucified, 
might determine in the night to rob the 
tomb of its treasures. But the moment he 
saw the " napkin wrapped together in a 
place by itself" he knew with absolute cer- 
tainty that no robber band had entered the 
sepulchre. For had they come, they would 
have either stripped the body and carried 
away the linen and the spices, or they 
would have carried away the body as enve- 
loped in the linen with the spices. But he 
saw that only the body was gone, whilst all 
the burial garments were left. This was not 



The Resurrection. 243 

all, for he saw that the grave clothes were so 
arranged as to demonstrate that there had 
been neither haste nor confusion, but delibe- 
ration and order. " He saw, and believed," 
that the Saviour had actually risen from the 
grave. 

How diverse, yet characteristic, was the 
action of these two apostles ! Both were 
actuated by the same motive. So intense 
was that motive that both ran with their 
utmost speed. John reached the sepulchre 
first, and, stooping down, looked in and " saw 
the linen clothes lying," but saw no corpse 
there. Peter rushed up and fearlessly en- 
tered the tomb. He, too, saw " the linen 
clothes lie, and the napkin, that was about 
His head, not lying with the linen clothes, 
but wrapped together in a place by itself." 
He saw and wondered, but found no solution 
to the mystery of the disappearance of the 
body. Now John enters, and, fastening his 
searching eye upon the clothes as they lay, he 
immediately solved the difficulty. His con- 
viction was vivid and settled. There, in that 
tomb, his heart palpitated with joy, for he 
knew of a certainty that the Lord, according 



244 Jesus of Nazareth. 

to His promise, had risen on this the third day. 
This conviction John doubtless explained to 
Peter, " wondering in himself at that which 
was come to pass." " Then the disciples 
went away again unto their own home." 

Mary Magdalene did not reach the sepul- 
chre again until after Peter and John had 
left for their homes. She " stood without, 
weeping." Evidently she had not seen Peter 
and John, who would have told her of their 
belief in the resurrection. This would have 
dried up her tears. Her weeping was evidence 
not simply of her affection, but also that no 
thought that Christ had risen had yet entered 
her mind. " As she wept, she stooped down, 
and looked into the sepulchre." Her eyes 
followed her heart. The last she saw of Him 
was lying in that tomb. But where, alas 
where, is now that precious body ? Her full 
burdened heart filled her eyes with tears of 
sorrow. Yet she could not keep her eyes 
away from the sepulchre ; but, looking in, she 
" seeth two angels in white sitting, the one 
at the head, and the other at the feet, where 
the body of Jesus had lain. And they 
say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou ? 



The Resurrection. 245 

She saith unto them, Because they have 
taken away my Lord, and I know not where 
they have laid Him." Her loving, faithful 
watching was richly rewarded. Scarcely had 
she ended her reply to the angels when she 
turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, 
yet knew not that it was Jesus. Perhaps 
her eyes were dim with tears, or the morn- 
ing mists still hung around ; or she did not 
care to look with any attention to one whom 
she supposed a stranger; or her eyes were 
holden, like those of the travellers to Em- 
maus, later in the day. Jesus saith unto 
her, " Woman, why weepest thou?" Still 
firmly believing that the body of Christ had 
by unknown hands been carried away, she, 
" supposing Him to be the gardener," perhaps 
from His dress being different from what the 
soldiers divided, " saith unto Him, Sir, if 
Thou hast borne Him hence, tell me where 
Thou hast laid Him, and I will take Him 
away." She was intent upon finding the 
body, that it might receive the care which 
affection prompted. Nor did she stay to ask 
how she could bear the precious burden. 
"/ will take Him away." 



246 Jesus of Nazareth. 

" Jesus saith unto her, Mary! " That tone 
thrilled along every nerve, and wakened up her 
whole soul to expectation. That look, gracious, 
tender, and full of affection, told all, and she 
knew Him ; she knew He had risen, and, 
with the strongest words of reverence, saith 
unto Him, " Rabboni, Master." And in her 
humility she prostrated herself at His feet 
that she might embrace them. This He 
forbade: " Touch Me not" — cling not now 
to Me ; for the time of full communion be- 
tween My disciples and Myself has " not 
yet " come. 

" Touch Me not; awhile believe Me; 
Touch Me not, till heaven receive Me ; 
Then draw near, and never leave Me ; 
Then I go no more." ' 

The commission was then given to Mary 
to tell the disciples — Christ's " brethren " — 
that He was about to ascend to His Father 
and their Father, to His God and their God ! 
He has achieved their redemption, and now 
He and they are eternally one ! Immediately 
she returned to the city, and told the dis- 
ciples that she had seen the risen Lord, 

1 Keble. 



The Resurrection. 247 

THE TESTIMONY OF THE SOLDIERS. 

As the women were returning to Jerusalem, 
" some of the watch came into the city, and 
showed unto the chief priests all the things 
that were done." That is, they told of the 
earthquake, " that an angel of the Lord had 
descended from heaven," " whose countenance 
was like lightning, and his raiment white as 
snow ; " that he came and rolled back the 
stone from the door, and sat upon it, and that, 
for fear of him, they, the keepers, did shake 
and became as dead men. This is a plain, 
intelligible, straightforward story. It im- 
plies, though it does not distinctly assert, 
that the body was gone. For if the body was 
still in the tomb, there could be no cause for 
anxiety. The chief priests understood that 
the body had disappeared. This the people 
would regard as the fulfilment of His predic- 
tion, " After three days I will rise again." 
The disappearance must be accounted for. 
The Sanhedrim are convened. " And when 
they were assembled with the elders, and 
had taken counsel, they gave large money 
unto the soldiers, saying, Say ye, His disciples 
came by night, and stole Him away while we 



248 Jesus of Nazareth. 

slept. " The soldiers had a serious difficulty 
in the way of accepting the money with the 
condition attached. It was death for a 
Roman soldier to sleep upon his post. This 
difficulty was overcome by the assurance that 
" if this come to the governor's ears, we will 
persuade him, and secure you." Three things 
are here stated as facts, viz. that the body 
w r as stolen ; that it was stolen by the disciples; 
and that it was stolen when the soldiers slept. 
If they were asleep, how could they know 
whether the body was stolen or walked away, 
or was carried to heaven by the angels ; and 
if stolen, whether it was by the disciples or 
by Barabbas, the noted thief? The two parts 
of the story do not harmonise. If they were 
asleep, their testimony was utterly worthless. 
If they were not asleep, and saw the body go 
away, then they are false witnesses in saying 
they were asleep. The improbability of this 
solution is apparent from the fact that the 
disciples had nothing to gain by having a 
stolen corpse on hand, with no place to secrete 
it, and with the certainty of being detected 
and punished. Besides, there is no record of 
any search being made for the corpse. If the 



The Resurrection. 249 

chief priests could have produced that dead 
body, the refutation of the claim that He had 
risen would have been complete. This they 
were never able to do. Being assured of 
freedom from danger, the soldiers " took the 
money, and did as they were taught." Im- 
probable as was this story, the priests were 
not deceived in their expectation. Perhaps 
through fear, it was received and circulated. 
For it is added that " this saying is commonly 
reported among the Jews until this day." 

The question naturally arises, Were those 
who saw Christ after His resurrection com- 
petent witnesses ? Were they sufficiently 
numerous ; were they truthful ; were they so 
well acquainted with Him as not to be de- 
ceived ? That full confidence may be felt in 
the witnesses of the resurrection, it is im*- 
portant to understand their intelligence, their 
temperament, and their character. Sufficient 
facts in the history of those already ad- 
duced have been given to establish confidence 
in them. The same course will be pursued 
with regard to those still to be introduced. 
It will appear from the sketch we give that 
they were competent and trustworthy wit- 



250 Jesus of Nazareth 

nesses, because they had known Him inti- 
mately, they were familiar with His person, 
His countenance, His tones of voice, His 
ways and habits. So they were competent 
to decide whether He was the same person 
whom they had known when alive, whom they 
had seen crucified, and whose body had been 
placed in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathaea. 
These witnesses, of unimpeachable veracity, 
saw Him, after His resurrection, spake with 
Him, and had various demonstrations that 
He was again a living man, 

JOURNEY TO EMMAUS. 

Towards the evening of the first day of the 
week two disciples were on their way " to a 
village called Emmaus, which was from Jeru- 
salem about threescore furlongs [seven miles]. 
And they talked together of all these things 
which had happened. " " While they com- 
muned together and reasoned, Jesus Himself 
drew r near, and went with them." He said, 
" What manner of communications are these 
that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and 
are sad ? " " And they said unto Him, Con- 
cerning Jesus of Nazareth . . . and how the 



The Resurrection. 251 

chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be 
condemned to death, and have crucified Him. 
But we trusted that it had been He which 
should have redeemed Israel." " Redeeming" 
Israel implied civil redemption, and that He 
should be a king. They then relate the visit 
of the women and the disciples to the tomb, 
and that they found not the body, but saw 
the angels, who said He was alive. Then the 
Lord so " expounded unto them in all the 
scriptures the things concerning Himself," 
that their " hearts burned within them." 

" Their eyes were holden that they should 
not know Him." Possibly this want of 
recognition was owing to a supernatural 
influence ; or it may have been from an 
alteration in garb and general appearance. 
When He was crucified He was stripped, 
and His garments were divided by the 
soldiers. His clothes, after His leaving the 
tomb, were different from what He had for- 
merly worn. Again, it is said " He appeared 
in another form unto two of them, as they 
walked, and went into the country." This 
" another form," as the Greek word clearly 
intimates, was external form or appearance, 



252 Jesus of Nazareth. 

in the change of which the unusual garment 
may have had a share. 

Drawing near to the village " He made as 
though He would have gone further." And, 
doubtless, He would have gone further had 
they not invited Him to abide with them : for 
Christ will not force His continuance upon 
any who do not desire Him. Their hospitable 
invitation was accepted, and " He went in to 
tarry with them." " And it came to pass, as 
He sat at meat with them, He took bread, 
and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. 
And their eyes were opened, and they knew 
Him." His manner, His natural tones, His 
countenance, and possibly the wounds in His 
hands, as He handed them the bread, flashed 
conviction upon them that this was the risen 
Saviour. As they had walked by the way, 
the dusky twilight was approaching. At the 
table they were in a lighted room. On the 
way, they had.no perfect view of Him, but 
when brought to the light they recognised 
Him. On the way they were despondent 
and sad, nay, hopeless ; not expecting to see 
Him again: still, His familiarity with the 
Scriptures, and His expositions of Moses 



The Resurrection. 253 

and all the prophets as bearing upon Jesus 
of Nazareth, caused their hearts to burn 
within them, and prepared them for recog- 
nising Him when He brake and gave to 
them the bread. So deeply impressed were 
they with the fact that He was alive again, that 
they immediately returned to Jerusalem and 
found the eleven, " and told what things were 
done in the way, and how He was known of 
them in breaking of bread." Mark adds of 
the disciples, " neither believed they them." 
This shows their caution. They did not 
receive the report either of the women or of 
these men with enthusiasm. They would not 
commit themselves upon mere hearsay evi- 
dence ; they must see Him for themselves, 
and know from tangible testimony that Christ 
was really alive again. 

WITH THE TEN. 

This meeting, one of the most important 
items of proof, occurred on the evening of 
the first day of the week, all the apostles 
being present but Thomas. " The doors 
were shut for fear of the Jews." Christ sud- 
denly " appeared in the midst" of them. As 



254 Jesus of Nazareth. 

they did not expect Him, when they saw 
some Being, in human form, enter through 
the bolted door, whose dress they did not 
recognise, it is no wonder " they were 
terrified and affrighted, and supposed they 
had seen a spirit." The opinion was pre- 
valent in that day that either the spirit of 
the dead person or his guardian angel ap- 
peared, assuming his form and voice. This 
was not more absurd then than the belief, at 
a later day, which has possessed true Chris- 
tians, in witchcraft and other superstitions. 
This militates no whit against the reality of 
the resurrection of Christ. The disciples 
must be judged by the current beliefs of their 
day. Christ quieted them, saying, " Peace be 
unto you." He next " upbraided them with 
their unbelief and hardness of heart, because 
they believed not them which had seen Him 
after He was risen." Then, with wonderful 
condescension and love, He said, " Why are 
ye troubled ? and why do thoughts arise in 
your hearts ? " What thoughts ? Alas, of 
doubt, of apprehension, of fear lest they had 
misplaced their confidence in Him as the 
Messiah. He then recalled how He had 



The Resurrection. 255 

taught them that " all things must be ful- 
filled, which were written in the law of 
Moses, and in the prophets, and in the 
psalms, concerning" Himself. 

Having " opened their understanding, that 
they might understand the Scriptures," He 
gave them the most convincing ocular de- 
monstration that He was not a disembodied 
spirit, but an actual living man, the very 
same they had seen crucified and buried. 
" Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I 
Myself: handle Me, and see ; for a spirit hath 
not flesh and bones, as ye see Me have." 
" He showed them His hands and His feet." 
Was not this enough to dissipate all doubt 
and to settle their minds in firm faith ? No : 
they " believed not for joy, and wondered." 
This is a strange mental phenomenon, that 
joy, springing from what we perceive to be 
true, should prevent belief and only produce 
wonder. To chase away every vestige of 
doubt " He said unto them, Have ye here 
any meat ? And they gave Him a piece of a 
broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And He 
took it, and did eat before them." This, so 
far as the record goes, was the end of all 



256 Jesus of Nazareth. 

their doubts : they now knew for a certainty 
that the crucified One was alive again. 
" Then were the disciples glad, when they 
saw the Lord." 

Such were the peculiar circumstances and 
momentous interests of this meeting. Christ 
had personally appeared to them, had in- 
structed them in the Scriptures fulfilled in 
Him, had submitted His hands and feet to 
their inspection, had eaten before them, had 
removed all their doubts and fears, and thus 
filled their hearts with joyful confidence. He 
commissioned them, as His witnesses, His 
apostles, to preach salvation in His name to 
every creature. Then He breathed upon 
them, as a symbol of their receiving the Holy 
Ghost. Now they knew, with perfect assur- 
ance, that their Lord was alive again, and 
that He was the promised Messiah. 

Why the disciples did not immediately go 
to Galilee after receiving the message from 
their Lord is not stated. It may be that no 
specific time was mentioned in the message, 
and that as the feast of the Passover had 
not yet ended, they were still detained by it 
in Jerusalem. 



The Resurrection. 257 

WITH THOMAS AND THE TEN. 

The second meeting of the apostles took 
place in the city, one week later, and in the 
evening. It is simply stated that " Thomas, 
called Didymus, was not with them when 
]esus came," that is, at the first meeting. 
Why he alone was absent we are not told. 
It may be traced perhaps to something dis- 
tinctive in his natural temperament. From 
the few glimpses of his history we learn that 
he was affectionate, impulsive, hasty, and at 
times rash; sometimes he was overcome by 
a " dark and morbid melancholy. " He was 
a true disciple, and sincerely attached to 
Christ. When the Lord expressed His deter- 
mination, on His way to Bethany, to pass 
through Jerusalem, where accumulating dan- 
gers threatened, Thomas said to his fellow- 
disciples, " Let us also go, that we may die 
with Him." Though wayward, and at times 
slowin apprehending the truth, and cautious in 
admitting statements except on the clearest 
evidence, still, when convinced, Thomas had 
the moral courage to carry out his con- 
victions. His caution adds weight to his 
testimony. 

18 



258 Jesus of Nazareth. 

As things were then in a very unsettled 
state, and as no man could tell what would 
be the issue, he may have been unwilling to 
commit himself by attending that first meet- 
ing. He knew that the chief priest s were then 
triumphant, and would long continue their au- 
thority and control. As the meeting was with 
closed doors, "for fear of the Jews," he too 
may have felt the power of that fear. As his 
mind was not fully made up as to the report 
of the women, that they had seen and talked 
with the Lord, and as he could not see any 
light in the future, he judged it most prudent 
not to venture out just then, and by any overt 
act to commit himself to what might prove a 
delusion. 

In this state of mind, not crediting the 
statement of the women, he did not expect, 
any more than did the other disciples, to 
meet Christ there. He knew that Christ 
was dead and buried. Of these facts, and 
the guarding of the sepulchre, he had perfect 
evidence. Some dim remembrance may have 
flitted before him that the Lord had in- 
timated that He would " rise on the third 
day." The report of the women was in 



The Resurrection. 259 

keeping with this. But they, though truth- 
ful persons, may have been deceived. No 
unimpeachable evidence of His having risen 
had yet reached him. To all present human 
appearances and calculation Christianity had 
no hope. How, then, could he suppose that 
Christ would be present ? Then why should 
he go ? Let him wait, prudently wait, and 
see what would turn up. 

Thomas afterwards found that the conse- 
quences of his conduct were very painful. 
He lost the enjoyment and benefit of that 
meeting. Had he been there, he would have 
attained to the belief of Christ risen. He 
nearly lost his place as an apostle. When 
the others were commissioned he was not. 
He missed the Master's words, " Receive 
the Holy Ghost." Christ came to a meet- 
ing, and a disciple who might have been 
there is out of his place. He is not only 
not blessed, but his heart becomes hardened. 
When his fellow-disciples speak to him, he is 
not prepared for their communications. He 
uses unbecoming language, and wounds their 
feelings. Christ ought to be expected at every 
meeting of His people ; surely then when a 



260 Jesus of Nazareth. 

disciple is absent, without such a reason as 
Christ would approve, he must expect great 
loss. What a week of joy was lost by 
Thomas ! All through its course, when the 
disciples told him, " We have seen the 
Lord," he persistently replied, " Except I 
shall see in His hands the print of the nails, 
and put my finger into the print of the nails, 
and thrust my hand into His side, I will 
not believe." Why he thus spake may not 
certainly be known. Perhaps he felt self- 
condemned because he had been absent, 
but was not willing to confess his fault. 
This made him all the more positive. He 
justified or excused his unbelief by professedly 
calling only for reasonable evidence upon a 
subject so momentous. 

Or, it may be that when he, heard all that 
was done at the first meeting, and ascer- 
tained that the ten had been commissioned 
as apostles, he was angry that he had been 
left out. True, it was his own fault ; but 
this only vexed him the more. Nothing 
will touch some men like omitting their 
names or dispensing with their services. 
Poor Thomas, having no appointment, swells 



The Resurrection. 261 

in importance, and says, " Except I shall 
see in His hands the print of the nails, and 
put my finger into the print of the nails, and 
thrust my hand into His side, / will not 
believe. " Who is this great I ? It is poor 
Thomas, whom the Lord could do without. 
It is Thomas, fretting under his own wrong- 
doing, and too mean and too proud to confess 
his wrong ; for meanness and pride generally 
go together. Under the writhings of his 
wounded pride, he presumptuously tells what 
he will and will not do, as though the cause 
of Christ depended upon him ! Alas, there 
are too many in every age of the same spirit, 
slow to believe, and egotistically vain of the 
very incredulity which withers up their joys. 
Thomas was unkind to his brethren. I will 
not dwell upon the fact that, seemingly, to 
put the best construction upon it, he deserted 
them at the very time they most needed 
his presence and co-operation. They were 
in great sorrow : mighty powers were triumph- 
ing. This, of all others, was the time when 
Thomas should have been with them, heart 
to heart, each strengthening and encouraging 
the other. What a chill it must have cast 



262 Jesus of Nazareth. 

upon the assembly, what a dagger it must 
have been in their hearts, when they saw 
that Thomas was not present ! One of their 
number, they knew, had apostatised and be- 
trayed their Lord. His place was vacated. 
And where now is Thomas ? Has he also 
gone over to their enemies ? It was incon- 
siderate, at least, whatever his motive, 
in Thomas to be absent at such a time. 
But when the disciples met him, his conduct 
was equally ungenerous and unkind. He paid 
no regard to their testimony. Yet they were 
men of integrity, and worthy of his confidence. 
He had known them to be honest men, in- 
capable of conspiring to deceive him. All 
ten testify the same thing, — "We have seen 
the Lord." He would not take their word. 

Now all this came from being absent 
from the meeting. For those who attended 
it did not distrust one another. It was only 
the one who was not present who could so 
cruelly treat his brethren as to distrust their 
word. Oh, how true it is that a cold heart 
is an unkind heart ! Hear this man. His 
brethren meet him, and he perhaps in- 
quires, What news have you to-day? Most 



The Resurrection. 263 

blessed news, brother Thomas ! " We have 
seen the Lord." He has risen from the dead, 
as He told us He would. With warmth 
Thomas exclaims, Poor deluded souls ! you 
are too credulous. Some person has made 
fools of you. You are too enthusiastic, and 
ready to believe anything, being carried away 
with your feelings. And now do you think 
to impose upon me? I tell you, nay: " Ex- 
cept I shall see in His hands the print of the 
nails, and put my finger into the print of 
the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, 
I will not believe." I must have rational 
evidence ! 

Alas ! how many thus unkindly judge their 
brethren ! They do not attend the precious 
meetings where Christ is present according 
to His promise, and where the Holy Ghost is 
richly poured out, and consequently their 
hearts remain cold and worldly. In this frame 
of mind they judge their brethren, whose 
hearts have been revived and warmed. Nay, 
they condemn as irrational the spiritual ex- 
periences of their fellow church members. 
They call them enthusiasts, carried away by 
mere animal excitement, when they have 



264 Jesus of Nazareth 

really been moved by the Holy Ghost. They 
will not believe them when told of the pre- 
sence of the Saviour and of the power of the 
Spirit, and the conversion of sinners. They 
practically exclude the supernatural from 
religion, and treat with cold contempt the 
religious experience of those who meet and 
commune with the Lord where prayer is 
appointed to be made. The example of Thomas 
is widely imitated, though perhaps uncon- 
sciously. Theirs is a fearful loss who neg- 
lect those meetings where Christ has pro- 
mised to attend and leave His blessing. 
" Where two or three are gathered together 
in My name, there am I in the midst of 
them." 

Thomas both tempted and limited his Lord's 
power when he prescribed the only way in 
which he would be convinced. How rash 
was his determination ! How could he know 
that a risen body must necessarily bear print 
of the nails and the wound in the side ? 
How could he know that the Saviour would 
allow him thus to handle Him ? And yet, 
Thomas would not believe unless on these 
conditions. And what if they had failed ? 



The Resurrection. 265 

Why, Thomas would have lost his soul ! He 
would then have been an unbeliever in the 
resurrection, and consequently of the atone- 
ment, and would thus have perished as an 
apostate. The blessed Saviour saw the peril 
of Thomas : saw that there was no way of 
delivering him from his terrible condition but 
to comply with his unreasonable demand. 
How unconquerable is the Saviour's love ! 

" Then came Jesus, the doors being shut, 
and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be 
unto you." Then fastening upon Thomas His 
intensely searching and penetrating, though 
kind and loving eye, He said, " Thomas, 
reach hither thy finger, and behold My 
hands ; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust 
it into My side ; and be not faithless, but 
believing." What a moment of deep thrilling 
interest, of fear and hope! How condescend- 
ing, how gracious in our Lord ! How tender, 
yet severe the rebuke ! How cut to the 
heart and thoroughly humbled was Thomas ! 
He has no excuses to offer. His full heart 
will allow him to utter only the language of 
affection, submission, and confidence : " My 
Lord and my God ! " 



266 Jesus of Nazareth. 

Thiswas not a mere exclamation of sur- 
prise, but a frank declaration of his belief, 
Thou art my Lord, and I worship Thee as 
my God. That he might be confirmed in 
this humbled, penitent, and believing frame, 
" Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou 
hast seen me, thou hast believed ; blessed 
are they that have not seen, and yet have 
believed. " It will be observed that Thomas 
had drawn back from his irreverent demand 
when the Lord so graciously complied with it : 
" Because thou hast seen Me : " not "touched" 
or "handled." The manifestation of Jesus 
conquers unbelief at once ! 

We notice with interest that this one rebuke 
seems to have cured Thomas from staying 
away from the meetings of the disciples. In 
subsequent gatherings it is particularly stated 
that Thomas was there. 1 But as good 
often comes out of the very waywardness and 
unbelief of men, the conviction gathers 
strength that Thomas attained to full confi- 
dence in the resurrection only when the evi- 
dence was such as to preclude any further 
hesitancy. Thomas's testimony is the more 

x See John xxi, 2 ; Acts i. 13. 



The Resurrection. 267 

valuable because of his stubborn caution. He 
doubted, that we might believe. 

THE SEVEN AT TIBERIAS. 

Matthew says, " Then the eleven disciples 
went away into Galilee." This was in 
obedience to the message which the Lord 
had sent them by the women. The evangelist 
John gives a detailed account of this meet- 
ing. " Jesus showed Himself again to the 
disciples at the Sea of Tiberias ; and on this 
wise showed He Himself. There were together 
Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, 
and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the 
sons of Zebedee, and two other of His dis- 
ciples." These men were again on their old 
" camping ground." They had come to this 
place to meet their Lord. They had probably 
waited for Him some days. As He did not 
appear, they would not loiter about as idlers. 
The boats, with the nets, were near by on 
the shore. " Simon Peter saith unto them, 
I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also 
go with thee. They went forth, and entered 
into a ship immediately ; and that night they 
caught nothing." At early dawn " Jesus 



268 Jesus of Nazareth. 

stood on the shore," the boat being distant 
" two hundred cubits," or three hundred feet. 
In the misty twilight they " knew not 
that it was Jesus." He " saith unto them, 
Children, have ye any meat ? They answered 
Him, No. And He said unto them, Cast the 
net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall 
find. They cast therefore, and now they 
w r ere not able to draw it for the multitude 
of fishes." The quick ear of John caught the 
well-known tone of the voice, and his active 
mind detected the Divine power in the draught 
of fishes, and he knew it was Jesus. He 
" saith unto Peter, It is the Lord." Warm- 
hearted, impetuous Peter " cast himself into 
the sea," and swam ashore. The others 
followed in their boat, " dragging the net 
with fishes." On reaching land "they saw 
a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, 
and bread." Jesus bade them bring of the 
" hundred and fifty and three " fishes they 
had caught, and said, " Come and dine." 

A strange fact is now stated. " And none 
of the disciples durst ask him, Who art 
thou ?" The reason for this conduct is also 
very strange, " knowing that it was the 



The Resurrection. 269 

Lord." Were they struck dumb with awe 
and veneration ? Or was it that the evidence 
was so complete that the most credulous 
durst not, by questioning, desire any further 
proof? Then Jesus " taketh bread, and 
giveth them, and fish likewise." It is added, 
" This is now the third time that Jesus 
showed Himself to His disciples, after that He 
was risen from the dead." This must be 
understood as referring exclusively to His 
appearing to His assembled disciples, viz^ 
on the two evenings at Jerusalem and now 
at the Lake of Tiberias. 

It was at this gathering that Christ had 
that remarkable and searching interview with 
Peter personally, which took out of him all 
his pride and self-sufficiency, and made of 
him a different man through the remainder 
of his life. " Jesus saith to Simon Peter, 
Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me more 
than these ? " The form of the question 
would stir up much thought in the mind of 
Peter. Why call me " Simon, son of Jonas? " 
This was my name before He made me His 
disciple ; then He changed it to Simon Peter. 
Does the Lord mean to disown me by with- 



270 Jesus of Nazareth. 

drawing the name He gave me ? I know 
that the Scriptures always speak of back- 
sliders in the language appropriate to the 
unconverted. Surely, I did terribly backslide 
when I so persistently denied Him. How 
could I then be discriminated from an enemy ? 
No wonder He withdraws the name He gave 
me ! How significant that question, " Lovest 
thou Me more than these?" What does He 
mean ? When He declared, " All ye shall be 
offended because of Me this night, " did I not 
say, "Though all men shall be offended 
because of Thee, yet will I never be offended. " 
And when He said to me that " before the 
cock crow twice thou shalt deny Me thrice," 
so foolish and self-confident was I, that I 
" spake the more vehemently, If I should die 
with Thee, I will not deny Thee in any wise." 
Alas ! alas ! how mean and cowardly I was ! 
I did deny Him thrice, with oaths and curses. 
I then thought my love greater than that of 
my fellow disciples. The Lord presses the 
question, and virtually says, What dost thou 
now think ? They forsook Me; but they did 
not deny Me. These questions and search- 
ings of heart humbled Peter, and he said, 



The Resurrection. 271 

" Thou knowest that I love thee." The Lord 
said to him " the second time, Simon, son of 
Jonas, lovest thou Me?" Not more than 
others ; but dost thou love Me at all ? This 
searched deeper. Peter more decidedly 
says, " Yea, Lord, Thou knowest that I love 
Thee." Christ, to uproot his self sufficient 
and self-confident spirit, " saith to him the 
third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou 
Me ?" Peter, from these repetitions, and the 
terrible words " son of Jonas," feared that the 
Lord still doubted the sincerity of his love, and 
was grieved. The thrice-repeated question 
might well grieve him. It reminded him of 
his thrice-repeated denial of Christ. Heart- 
broken and penitent, he appeals to His omni- 
science : "Lord, Thou knowest all things; 
Thou knowest that I love Thee." Then Peter 
was fully restored. His apostleship was given 
back to him in the charge, repeated, like the 
denial, like the question, " Feed My sheep — 
Feed My lambs." 

The forgiving Lord had met with Peter 
alone, on His resurrection -day. Of that 
interview no record but the simple fact l 

1 See Luke xxiv. 34 ; 1 Cor. xv. 5. 



272 Jesus of Nazareth. 

remains. Yet who can doubt that the words 
of love then spoken in private prepared the 
way for this public declaration of love and 
confidence renewed ? 

THE FIVE HUNDRED. 

Matthew tells us that the disciples went to 
Galilee, " into a mountain where Jesus had 
appointed them." From Paul we learn that 
on this occasion " He was seen of about five 
hundred brethren at once." Matthew says, 
" And when they saw Him, they worshipped 
Him : but some doubted.'' This doubting, 
certainly, was not true of any of the eleven 
apostles, after all the evidence they had had 
furnished them in Jerusalem and other places. 
They had already been commissioned as 
apostles, and commanded to meet Him per- 
sonally at this time and place. The doubters 
w T ere among the numerous disciples of 
Galilee gathered together on this occasion. 
The statement, by Matthew, that " some 
doubted " is evidence of the frankness and 
truthfulness of his narrative. 

The Lord had directed that His disciples in 
Galilee should assemble upon this specified 



The Resurrection. 273 

mountain. Whether it was Tabor or the 
Mountain of Beatitudes is not known. This 
was the solemn closing of His ministry in 
Galilee, where He had spent most of His 
life; where most of His miracles had been 
wrought, where He had so frequently taught, 
and where His disciples were the most 
numerous. It was to this vast concourse of 
disciples that He said, " All power is given 
unto Me in heaven and earth. Go ye there- 
fore, and teach [disciple] all nations, baptizing 
them in the name of the Father, and of the 
Son, and of the Holy Ghost : teaching them 
to observe all things whatsoever I have com- 
manded you : and, lo, I am with you alway, 
even unto the end of the world. Amen." 
This command to do His work among the 
" nations/' and this gracious assurance of 
His presence, " even to the end of the 
world," were given not alone to the eleven 
apostles, but to the assembled multitude 
of disciples. This teaches that it is not the 
exclusive duty of those professionally devoted 
to the ministry to disciple men to Christ, but 
the duty and privilege of every true disciple 
to labour to make disciples of others. How 
19 



274 Jesus of Nazareth. 

this command was understood by the early 
disciples is thus stated: " Therefore they 
that were scattered abroad went everywhere 
preaching the word." 

OTHER TESTIMONIES. 

Not to break the chain of evidence, we here 
present, out of the order of time, certain facts 
of a peculiar character, which bear with in- 
tense force upon the question of the resurrec- 
tion of Christ. These facts had their existence 
after the ascension, but they bring the parties 
most interested face to face. On the day of 
Pentecost, " Peter, standing up with the 
eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, 
Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jeru- 
salem, be this known unto you, and hearken 
to my words . . . Jesus of Nazareth, a man 
approved of God among you by miracles and 
wonders and signs, which God did by Him in 
the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know : 
Him, being delivered by the determinate 
counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have 
taken, and by wicked hands have crucified 
and slain : whom God hath raised up, having 
loosed the pains of death : because it was not 



The Resurrection. 275 

possible that He should be holden of it." 
This is a bold and unflinching statement of 
the death and resurrection of Christ His 
crucifixion by the hands of the lawless 
[Gentiles] is charged upon the Jews, and 
His resurrection by Divine power is asserted. 
To the facts of the death and the resurrec- 
tion there was no denial by those present, 
who knew the facts. 

When Peter, at the Beautiful Gate of the 
Temple, healed the man " lame from his 
mother's womb," and the people were "greatly 
wondering," he said, " Ye men of Israel, why 
marvel ye at this ? or why look ye so 
earnestly on us, as though by our own power 
or holiness we had made this man to walk ? 
The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of 
Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified 
His Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and 
denied Him in the presence of Pilate, when 
he was determined to let Him go. But ye 
denied the Holy One and the Just, and 
desired a murderer to be granted unto you ; 
and killed the Prince of life, whom God hath 
raised from the dead ; whereof we are wit- 
nesses." This statement not only names the 



276 Jesus of Nazareth. 

crucifixion and resurrection as real, but 
appeals to certain facts too well known to 
be denied, and boldly asserts that this Jesus 
is the " Son of God," and therefore Divine. 
It was for claiming to be the Son of God that 
Christ was pronounced a blasphemer, and 
therefore condemned to death. Yet Peter 
reaffirms this claim, and authenticates it 
by appealing to the resurrection, by which 
God hath glorified His Son. 

When the apostles were brought before 
the " rulers, and elders, and scribes, and 
Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas," and 
others, and asked, " By what power, or by 
what name, have ye done this? " Peter said, 
" Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, 
... be it known unto you all, and to all the 
people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus 
Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom 
God raised from the dead, even by Him doth 
this man stand here before you whole." 
Here the facts of the death and resurrection 
are asserted, and are not denied by the rulers, 
elders, scribes, and chief priests, even when 
the crucifixion is directly charged upon therru 
These men in authority, the responsible 



The Resurrection. 277 

agents, who could not deny either the facts 
or their agency, " were grieved " that these 
men taught the people, and preached, through 
Jesus, " the resurrection from the dead." 
They " commanded them not to speak at 
all, nor teach in the name of Jesus." The 
apostles went on with their preaching " Jesus 
and the resurrection," and " many signs and 
wonders were wrought [by them] among the 
people." This demonstration greatly excited 
the indignation of the high priest, and all that 
were with him, and "they laid their hands on 
the apostles, and put them in the common 
prison." On the morrow, when the high 
priest had convened " all the senate of the 
children of Israel," and found that the 
apostles were not in the prison, but in the 
Temple, preaching to the people "Jesus and 
the resurrection," "they doubted of them 
whereunto this would grow." When brought 
before the council, the high priest said, " Did 
not we straitly command you that ye should 
not teach in this name ? and, behold, ye have 
filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and 
intend to bring this man's blood upon us." 
Here there is no denial either of the death or 



278 Jesus of Nazareth. 

the resurrection, but fear that the people 
should regard the crucifixion of Christ as 
a wilful murder, and the chief priests and 
council as the murderers. But Peter and 
the other apostles were not intimidated ; 
they answered, u We ought to obey God 
rather than men." They again boldly charge 
the rulers with His death, and fearlessly pro- 
claim the resurrection and glorification of 
Christ. " The God of our fathers raised up 
Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a 
tree. Him hath God exalted with His right 
hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to 
give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of 
sins. And we are His witnesses of these 
things ; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom 
God hath given to them that obey Him." 
This unconquerable determination of these 
despised men to charge the rulers as the 
murderers of an innocent man they could 
stand no longer. When they heard this last 
testimony, they were filled, not with peni- 
tence, but with vengeance; " they were cut 
to the heart," and as they could make no 
defence, " they took counsel to slay them." 
In all these transactions, neither the cruci- 



The Resurrection. 279 

fixion nor the resurrection of Christ is 
denied by the high priest and the rulers. 
These facts are, through threatenings and 
intimidations and imprisonment, stedfastly 
declared and unflinchingly proclaimed. 
Wherever the apostles went they preached 
" Jesus and the resurrection." I 

The apostle Paul in his first letter to the 
Corinthians thus sums up the evidence for 
the resurrection : " For I delivered unto you 
first of all that which I also received, how 
that Christ died for our sins according to 
the Scriptures ; and that He was buried, and 
that He rose again the third day according to 
the Scriptures : and that He was seen of 
Cephas, then of the twelve : after that, He 
was seen of above five hundred brethren at 
once ; of whom the greater part remain unto 
this present, but some are fallen asleep. After 
that, He was seen of James ; then of all the 
apostles. And last of all He was seen of me also, 
as of one born out of due time.'' This is the 
testimony of the man who thought he " ought 
to do many things contrary to the name of 
Jesus of Nazareth, " and who persecuted unto 

1 See Acts xiii. 29-37 > xv ^* J 8» 



280 Jesus of Nazareth. 

the death, binding and delivering into prisons 
both men and women, and at whose feet, as 
the approving witness, they laid the clothes 
of the martyr Stephen. This is the man who 
says, " And last of all He was seen of me." 
Had Paul never seen Christ before He was 
crucified ? What if he had ? That was not 
enough. To be an apostle, and a sufficient 
witness for Christ, it was necessary that he 
should have seen Him bodily after his resur- 
rection. " One must be ordained to be a 
witness of His resurrection. " Accordingly, 
when Saul of Tarsus was on his persecuting 
mission to Damascus, " yet breathing out 
threatenings and slaughter against the dis- 
ciples of the Lord," " suddenly there shined 
round about him a light from heaven, and 
he fell to the earth, and heard a voice, saying 
unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou 
Me? And he said, Who art Thou, Lord? " 
And the Lord said, " I am Jesus, whom thou 
persecutest. And he, trembling and aston- 
ished, said, Lord, what wilt Thou have me to 
do ? " Then it was that this " last of all the 
witnesses'' saw Jesus after His resurrection. 
This appearance was special. To qualify 



The Resurrection. 281 

him to be an apostle, the Lord showed Him- 
self to Him bodily, with all the evidences of 
identity, and said, " I have appeared unto 
thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister 
and a witness both of these things which 
thou hast seen, and of those things in the 
which I will appear unto thee." " For thou 
shalt be a witness unto all men of what 
thou hast seen and heard." 'His seeing the 
risen Lord in His body as crucified was the 
essential prerequisite to his being an apostle 
— " a chosen vessel to bear the name of 
Christ before the Gentiles, and kings, and 
children of Israel." 

What if the women, with Joseph of Ari- 
mathaea and Nicodemus and the disciples, 
had, on the third day, come to the sepulchre 
and found the stone undisturbed ? What if, 
on entering the tomb, they had found the 
body there cold in death? What if they had 
completed the burial preparations and rolled 
back the stone ? What if, after weeks, they 
had again entered the tomb, and found the 
body still there, with certain evidences of 
progressing dissolution, how changed and 
hopeless the destinies of the whole world ! 



282 Jesus of Nazareth. 

The death on the cross would not have been 
an atonement, but the execution of a deluded 
enthusiast, if not of a criminal impostor. The 
resurrection is the central fact of Christianity. 
" If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain ; 
ye are yet in your sins." 1 " Declared to be 
the Son of God with power, according to the 
Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from 
the dead." 2 When He arose the atonement 
offered was accepted, and salvation made 
free. 

1 1 Cor. xv. 17. 2 Rom. i. 4. 



XII. 
THE ASCENSION. 



CHAPTER XII. 



THE ASCENSION. 




N direct personal evidence of His resur- 
rection we last saw our Lord on one of 
the mountains of Galilee, surrounded 
by " above five hundred brethren." We next 
hear of Him at Jerusalem, with "the apostles 
whom He had chosen : to whom also He 
showed Himself alive after His passion by 
many infallible proofs, being seen of them 
forty days, and speaking of the things per- 
taining to the kingdom of God." What these 
teachings were during those eventful forty 
days, we are not specifically told. Doubtless 
they included the fuller opening up to them 
of the Scriptures concerning Himself, as He 
did to the two disciples on their w T ay to 
Emmaus ; with more distinct revelations of 



286 Jesus of Nazareth. 

the extent and power of His atonement made 
by His death on the cross ; and, assuredly, 
the renewed promise of the Holy Spirit, the 
Comforter, now that He was soon to leave 
them. 

In keeping with this, He " commanded 
them that they should not depart from 
Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the 
Father, which ye have heard of Me." " Ye 
shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost 
not many days hence." " Behold, I send 
the promise of My Father upon you: but 
tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until ye be 
endued with power from on high." " Ye 
shall receive power, after that the Holy 
Ghost is come upon you : and ye shall be 
witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in 
all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the 
uttermost part of the earth." As the Lord 
spake of the " things pertaining to the king- 
dom of God," the disciples, whose minds 
were not yet purged from the idea of a 
temporal monarchy, asked Him. " Lord, wilt 
Thou at this time restore again the kingdom 
to Israel? " He rebuked them, saying, " It 
is not for you to know the times or the 



The Ascension. 287 

seasons, which the Father hath put in His 
own power." It is enough for you to know 
that "all power is given unto Me in heaven 
and in earth," and that I send you to 
" preach the gospel to every creature," " be- 
ginning at Jerusalem." 

These teachings were delivered as they 
passed over the brook Cedron and wound 
their way up the Mount of Olives. " And 
He led them out as far as to Bethany, and He 
lifted up His hands, and blessed them. And 
it came to pass, while He blessed them, He 
was parted from them, and carried up into 
heaven." " He was taken up; and a cloud 
received Him out of their sight. And while 
they looked stedfastly toward heaven as He 
went up, behold, two men stood by them 
in white apparel ; which also said, Ye men 
of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into 
heaven ? this same Jesus, which is taken up 
from you into heaven, shall so come in like 
manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven." 
" And they worshipped Him, and returned 
to Jerusalem with great joy : and were con- 
tinually in the temple, praising and blessing 
God." Such is the simple statement of this 



288 Jesus of Nazareth. 

most august event. It stands grand and 
glorious, — 

" Like the cerulean arch we see, 
Majestic in its own simplicity." 

His last earthly act was a benediction. 
" While He blessed them, He was parted from 
them," — " was taken up," "was received up 
into heaven." No external force was mani- 
fest. In apparent opposition to the law of 
gravitation, His body, by His own will, 
ascended, " and a cloud received Him out of 
their sight." "A bright cloud," the symbol 
of the Divine presence, had " overshadowed " 
the scene when the Lord was transfigured. 
That transfiguration, when " His face did 
shine as the sun, and His raiment was white 
as the light," illustrates what the glorified 
bodies of the saints shall be when they 
shall be like Him "who shall change our 
vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto 
His glorious body." As " flesh and blood 
cannot inherit the kingdom of God," so 
"there is a natural body, and there is a 
spiritual body." It is reasonable to believe 
that as our Lord ascended from Olivet, His 



The Ascension. 289 

body was changed from that which was 
fleshly and mortal to that which was spiritual 
and immortal. 

" He was received up into heaven, and sat 
on the right hand of God." So testify the 
Scriptures: " Who is gone into heaven, and 
is on the right hand of God ; angels and 
authorities and powers being made subject 
unto Him." " Who being the brightness of 
His glory, and the express image of His 
person, and upholding all things by the word of 
His power, when He had by Himself purged 
our sins, sat down on the right hand of the 
Majesty on high." " Which He wrought in 
Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, 
and set Him at His own right hand in the 
heavenly places." 

" They looked stedfastly toward heaven 
as He went up," until " a cloud received Him 
out of their sight." How long their loving 
hearts would have kept them gazing and 
wondering and filled with awe cannot be 
surmised. The Lord cuts short this up- 
gazing by sending two messengers with a 
revelation to them, " Behold, two men stood 
by them in white apparel; which also said, 
20 



290 Jesus of Nazareth. 

Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up 
into heaven ? This same Jesus, which is 
taken up from you into heaven, shall so 
come in like manner as ye have seen Him go 
into heaven." When and where this shall 
have its fulfilment the Lord has not re- 
vealed. The prophet Daniel says, " I saw 
in the night visions, and, behold, one like 
the Son of man came with the clouds of 
heaven." And the apostle says, " The Lord 
Himself shall descend from heaven with a 
shout, with the voice of the archangel." 
" The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from 
heaven with His mighty angels." " And 
unto them that look for Him shall He appear 
the second time without sin unto salvation." z 
Were these two messengers the same whom 
the women saw at the sepulchre ? — " two men 
stood by them in shining garments, and 
said unto them, Why seek ye the living 
among the dead?" Were they the "two 
men, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in 
glory," and talked with Christ, and "spake 
of His decease which He should accomplish 
at Jerusalem ? " There was a manifest pro- 

x Dan. vii. 13 ; I Thess. iv. 16 ; 2 Thess. i. 7 ; Heb. ix. 28. 



The Ascension. 291 

priety that Moses the lawgiver, and Elijah 
the great prophet, should meet their Lord 
in their glorified bodies on the mount, and 
there speak of the atonement about to be 
made, on which they, with prospective faith, 
relied for salvation. Equally appropriate was 
it, that they should watch in His tomb and 
announce His resurrection, which was the 
evidence of the completed atonement ; and 
not less so that they should be present at the 
ascension, and reveal the fact that the Lord 
should return again from heaven. 

What we know with certainty is, that 
the disciples " worshipped Him." This they 
could not have done unless confident that 
He was the Divine Messiah, the Son of God. 
That they thus believed they testified by 
r their lives of devotion to Christ and suffering 
for Him. With the unclouded conviction 
that He was the Messiah, to whom "all 
power was given in heaven and in earth," 
they " returned to Jerusalem with great joy :' 
and were continually in the temple, praising 
and blessing God." 

The evangelist John, in closing his nar- 
rative, says, " And many other signs truly 



292 Jesus of Nazareth. 

did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, 
which are not written in this book : but these 
are written, that ye might believe that Jesus 
is the Christ, the Son of God ; and that 
believing ye might have life through His 
name." 

"Jesus," who saves His people from their 
sins; "Christ" the anointed One, the great 
High Priest, the Messiah, 1 " the Son of God," 
the Divine Redeemer, through whom, by 
faith in His name, every man may secure 
eternal life. And this offer not for a day, a 
year, a century, but for all time. " Jesus 
Christ, the same yesterday, to-day, and for 
ever." Blessed Jesus, how imperishable and 
unchangeable is Thy love ! 

1 John i. 41 ; iv. 25. 



XIII. 
THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, 



CHAPTER XIII. 

THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 




he apostles abode in Jerusalem. They 
continued in prayer, waiting for the 
promised " baptism of the Holy Ghost," 
by which they were endowed with power to 
" preach repentance and remission of sins in 
His name, among all nations, beginning at 
Jerusalem." On the day of Pentecost the 
promise of the Spirit was fulfilled, and the 
dispensation of the Spirit was inaugurated. 
The apostles were " filled with the Holy 
Ghost, and began to speak with other 
tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. " 
The three thousand then and there in a few 
hours converted, were not the limit, but only 
the sample of the power. It was given for 



296 Jesus of Nazareth. 

the encouragement of all the ages. It was 
but the handful of first-fruits which betokened 
the abundant harvest. 

To cheer the sorrowing disciples, the Lord 
had said, " It is expedient for you that I go 
away : for if I go not away, the Comforter 
will not come unto you ; but if I depart, I 
will send Him unto you. And when He is 
come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of 
righteousness, and of judgment." ■ " I will 
pray the Father, and He shall give you 
another Comforter, that He may abide with 
you for ever ; even the Spirit of truth. " 
" The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, 
whom the Father will send in My name, He 
shall teach you all things. " " But when 
the Comforter is come, whom I will send 
unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of 
truth, which proceedeth from the Father, He 
shall testify of Me." 2 "Behold, I send the 
promise of My Father upon you." 3 Thus 
ran the promise, " I will pour My Spirit 
upon thy seed, and My blessing upon thine 
offspring." 4 "I will pour out my Spirit 

x John xvi. 7, 8. 2 John xiv. 16; xiv. 26 ; xv. 26. 

3 Luke xxiv. 49. 4 Isa. xliv. 3. 



The Gift of the Holy Spirit. 297 

upon all flesh." l The promise that the 
kingdom of the Messiah should be universal 
also designated the Holy Spirit as the 
efficient power. " I will pour out My Spirit 
unto you;" "Not by might, nor by power, 
but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." 
" Behold My Servant, whom I have chosen ; 
My Beloved, in whom My soul is well 
pleased : I will put My Spirit upon Him, and 
He shall show judgment to the Gentiles." 2 
Answering to these assurances of the elder 
times, comes the response of the new dis- 
pensation : " The Spirit of the Lord is upon 
Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach 
the gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to 
heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance 
to the captives, and recovering of sight to the 
blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 
to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. . . . 
And He began to say unto them, This day is 
this scripture fulfilled in your ears." 3 

The Holy Spirit, the third Person of the 
adorable Trinity, as promised, was given 
by Christ as the efficient agent for carry- 
ing out to triumphant completion the grand 

1 Joel ii. 28. 2 Matt. xii. 18. 3 Luke iv. 18, 19, 21. 



298 Jesus of Nazareth. 

remedial scheme. The Holy Spirit is Christ's 
gift to the world. Until the atonement 
was made, in the person and by the death 
of Jesus the Son of God, the dispensation of 
the Spirit could not be inaugurated. Upon 
the ascension of Christ, the omnipotent, 
omniscient, and omnipresent Spirit com- 
menced His mission. His immediate and 
extraordinary work was to endue the apostles 
with power from on high, — to qualify them 
by influences and miraculous forces to fulfil 
their commission to preach the Gospel, to 
complete the volume of inspiration, and to 
establish Christianity upon an ever-enduring 
and immovable foundation. 

In securing the salvation of men, He 
neither creates new faculties nor originates 
moral responsibility, nor reveals new truth, 
but makes the truth vital. "The word of 
God ... is a discerner of the thoughts and 
intents of the heart." x Animated by the 
same love with the Father and the Son, He 
prosecutes His work with intense interest 
and affection. He is ever waiting to be 
gracious. It was at Jerusalem, the most 

* Heb. iv. 12. 



The Gift of the Holy Spirit. 299 

guilty and hopeless of cities, that the first 
effusion of the Spirit took place. There is 
no possibility of exhausting the power of 
the omnipotent Spirit ; there is no possibility 
of limiting the searching force of the omni- 
scient Spirit ; there is no possibility of shutting 
out the presence of the omnipresent Spirit. 
With such appliances the apostles went 
forth, confident that wherever the providence 
of God should carry them, there they would 
find the Spirit present ai\d ready to bless 
His own Word and to work with them, if 
they were ready to work for Christ. They, 
being full of the Holy Ghost, " so spake 
that a great multitude both of the Jews and 
of the Greeks believed. " Barnabas was "a 
good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and 
of faith ; and much people was added to the 
Lord." It is not all kinds of speaking the 
truth that win the heart ; but so speaking that 
the truth, as revealed, shall stand out quick 
and powerful, a discerner of the thoughts and 
intents of the heart and a reprover of sin. 
Christ, knowing the power of the truth, as the 
sword of the Spirit, cheered His apostleswith 
the assurance that " in that generation," 



300 Jesus of Nazareth. 

before the destruction of Jerusalem was ac- 
complished, " the gospel of the kingdom shall 
be preached in all the world, for a witness 
unto all nations." The Acts of the Apostles 
presents a series of instructive and encourag- 
ing illustrations of the agency of the Spirit. 
It was, and remains through all time, the 
work of Christ Himself. The record of His 
earthly life sets forth " the things which 
Jesus began both to do and teach." x The 
subsequent history of the church disclosed 
His continued workings by His Spirit. 

For the work of the Holy Spirit is a dis- 
tinctive part of the mission of Christ. He pro- 
mised to send the Spirit to " reprove [convict] 
the world of sin." He said He would pray the 
Father to give " the Spirit of truth to abide 
for ever:" Who " would teach all things." 
He said that the Holy Spirit would testify 
of Him ; that He would " guide into all 
truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; 
but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He 
speak : and He will show you things to come. 
He shall glorify Me : for He shall receive of 
Mine, and shall show it unto you." 2 

1 Acts i. I. 2 John xvi. 13, 14. 



The Gift of the Holy Spirit. 301 

The blessed, omnipotent, and omnipresent 
Spirit is the executive agent to carry out the 
work of salvation, now that Christ has 
ascended to His mediatorial throne in the 
heavens. The Holy Spirit is included in the 
" all power given unto Me in heaven and in 
earth ; " " Head over all things to the 
church; " " I am with you alway unto the end 
of the world." Harmoniously acting, the 
Holy Spirit is intensely set, with one purpose, 
on glorifying the work o£ Christ in dying 
for the salvation of men. The doctrines of 
the cross, which the Holy Ghost in all ages 
blesses, cluster around Jesus Christ. He is 
the central figure and the unfailing power. 
His incarnation, His death, His resurrection, 
and His ascension are the cardinal, vitalising 
facts by which the Divine Spirit has reani- 
mated, and will continue to reanimate, a 
perishing world, changing it from sin to holi- 
ness. " Casting down imaginations, and 
every high thing that exalteth itself against 
the knowledge of God, and bringing into 
captivity every thought to the obedience of 
Christ." 1 

f 2 Cor. x. 5. 



302 Jesus of Nazareth. 

In the fifteenth chapter of the first Epistle 
to the Corinthians the Apostle Paul gives an 
extended illustration of the manner in which, 
by the power of the Holy Spirit, he com- 
mended the truth to the souls of men : 

" I declare unto you the gospel which I 
preached unto you, which also ye have 
received, and wherein ye stand ; by which 
also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what 
I preached unto you. . . . For I delivered unto 
you first of all that which I also received, 
how that Christ died for our sins according 
to the Scriptures ; and that He was buried, 
and that He rose again the third day accord- 
ing to the Scriptures." He dwells not 
mainly upon the dead, but the living Christ. 
He carefully spreads out the evidences of the 
resurrection, and shows how fundamental 
that fact is to Christianity. " If there be no 
resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not 
risen : and if Christ be not risen, then is our 
preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. 
Ye are yet in your sins. Then they also 
which are fallen asleep in Christ are 
perished." " But now is Christ risen from 
the dead, and become the first-fruits of them 



The Gift of the Holy Spirit. 303 

that slept. " He cheers them with the 
assurance that the risen Christ has ascended 
to heaven, is seated upon the mediatorial 
throne ; has all power, and an ever-widening 
kingdom ; that " He must reign until He hath 
put all enemies under His feet." He com- 
forts them with the certainty of their own 
resurrection, with spiritual bodies admirably 
adapted to their then spiritual and eternal 
condition. " So when this corruptible shall 
have put on incorruption, and this mortal 
shall have put on immortality, then shall be 
brought to pass the saying that is written, 
Death is swallowed up in victory." Under 
the cheering power of these sublime truths, 
he bursts forth in strains of exulting triumph, 
" O death, where is thy sting ? grave, 
where is thy victory? . . . Thanks be to God, 
which giveth us the victory through our Lord 
Jesus Christ." He closes his discourse by 
urging the necessary and imperative practical 
consequence of the full belief in " Jesus and 
the resurrection." " Therefore, my beloved 
brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always 
abounding in the work of the Lord, for- 
asmuch as ye know that your labour is not 



304 Jesus of Nazareth. 

in vain in the Lord." " Jesus and the 
resurrection " was an element of comfort as 
well as of power. The death of Christ, the 
atoning sacrifice, was the only reliance of 
the first teachers of the Gospel for the pardon 
of sin, the perfect cleansing from its pollu- 
tion, and the triumph over it. The resur- 
rection and kingly authority of Christ were 
the source of their confidence and their 
courage. This made them " stedfast and 
unmovable " when opposition, with malig- 
nant rage, compassed them about ; made 
them cheerful and hopeful, and abounding in 
their work, until it spread Christianity, 
through persecutions the most stubbornly 
cruel and relentlessly persevering, over the 
Roman Empire. "Whom we preach, warn- 
ing every man, and teaching every man in 
all wisdom ; that we may present every man 
perfect in Christ Jesus : whereunto I also 
labour, striving according to His working, 
which worketh in me mightily. " * 

With the conviction, as intense and real 
as in their own existence, that all men are 
sinners; that all are condemned by God's 

1 Col. i. 28, 29. 



The Gift of the Holy Spirit. 305 

righteous law ; that there is no possible 
hope for the salvation of any one except 
through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, 
and with hearts burning for souls, they went 
forth, and preached " Jesus and the resur- 
rection." With unwavering confidence in 
the atonement and in the promised presence 
of Christ and the Holy Ghost, and knowing, 
from personal experience, the power of the 
Gospel to save, they spake to every man with 
assurance that Christ died, and rose, and 
reigns for him. Thus, with the double 
power of hope — hope in the preacher and 
hope for the guilty— the response was quick, 
and vast multitudes were added to the Lord. 

These truths being fundamental, they must 
always be the power of God unto salvation. 
" Blessed be the God and Father of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His 
abundant mercy hath begotten us again 
unto a lively hope by the resurrection 
of Jesus Christ from the dead." 1 

" Jesus and the resurrection" are not 
simply historical facts to be received or 
rejected. They are life-principles, and essen- 

1 I Peter i. 3. 
21 



306 Jesus of Nazareth. 

tial to spiritual life. Christ, " the first- 
fruits of them that slept, " makes certain the 
resurrection of all men. This forces the 
moral government of God upon the attention, 
it carries the man beyond the grave, where 
the awards will be according to the deeds 
done in the body. This throws deep solemnity 
upon the life that now is, and makes Christ 
crucified a most welcome truth, because 
" He died for our sins." The risen Saviour 
is the only " hope of glory." " Begotten again 
unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus 
Christ from the dead." x " For whether we 
we live, we live unto the Lord ; and whether 
we die, we die unto the Lord : whether we 
live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. For 
to this end Christ both died, and rose, and 
revived." 2 " I am the resurrection, and the 
life : he that believeth in Me, though he were 
dead, yet shall he live : and whosoever liveih 
and believeth in Me shall never die." 3 

x I Peter i. 3. 2 Rom. xiv. 8, 9. 3 John xi. 25, 26. 



XIV. 
THE MEDIATORIAL KING- 



CHAPTER XIV. 



THE MEDIATORIAL KING. 




Therefore did the Lord ascend on 
high ? Prophecy answers : " I have set 
My King upon My holy hill of Zion." 
" The heathen shall be His inheritance, and 
the uttermost parts of the earth His posses- 
sion. " " He shall have dominion from sea 
to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the 
earth. " " His name shall endure for ever, 
and men shall be blessed in Him : all nations 
shall call Him blessed. " u Let the whole 
earth be filled with His glory/' Such is the 
prophetic delineation of the universal happy 
empire of the Mediatorial King. The same 
love which brought the Lord from heaven* to 
the cross controls His heart whilst sitting 
upon the mediatorial throne. That He may 



310 Jesus of Nazareth. 

perfectly and triumphantly carry out the 
rich and wide-reaching purposes of His 
atonement, " God hath made that same 
Jesus both Lord and Christ. " " Him hath 
God exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour, 
for to give repentance to Israel, and forgive- 
ness of sins." 1 " Wherefore God also hath 
highly exalted Him, and given Him a name 
which is above every name : that at the name 
of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in 
heaven, and things in earth, and things under 
the earth ; and that every tongue should con- 
fess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of 
God the Father." 2 " For to this end Christ 
both died, and rose, and revived, that He 
might be Lord both of the dead and living." 3 
Prophecy in the distant past foretold the 
purpose of the mediatorial reign. " Thou 
hast ascended on high, Thou hast led cap- 
tivity captive : Thou hast received gifts for 
men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the 
Lord God might dwell among them." The 
answering voice comes, " He ascended up 
on high, He led captivity captive, and He 
gave gifts unto men. ... He gave some, 

1 Acts v. 31. 2 Phil. ii. 9-1 1. 3 Rom. xiv. 9. 



The Mediatorial King. 311 

apostles ; and some, prophets ; and some, 
evangelists ; and some, pastors and teachers ; 
for the perfecting of the saints, for the 
work of the ministry, for the edifying of the 
body of Christ : till we all come in the unity 
of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son 
of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure 
of the stature of the fulness of Christ. " 1 

The promised Messiah spake by His 
prophet: " Look unto Me, and be ye saved, 
all the ends of the earth : for I am God, and 
there is none else." " I, even I, am the 
Lord; and beside Me there is no Saviour." 
" All the ends of the world shall remember 
and turn unto the Lord : and all the kindreds 
of the nations shall worship before Thee." 2 
The Messiah answered the prediction, — " As 
Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, 
even so must the Son of man be lifted up." 
" And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will 
draw all men unto Me." " Who will have all 
men to be saved, and come to the knowledge 
of the truth. For there is one God, and one 
Mediator between God and men, the man 

1 Psa. lxviii. 18 ; Eph. iv. 8-13. 

2 Isa. xlv. 22 ; Isa. xliii. 1 1 ; Psa. xxii. 27. 



312 Jesus of Nazareth. 

Christ Jesus ; who gave Himself a ransom 
for all." " Neither is there salvation in any 
other : for there is none other name under 
heaven given among men whereby we must 
be saved." " The blood of Jesus Christ His 
Son cleanseth us from all sin." 

To carry out the benevolence of the 
redemptive scheme in all its bearings to the 
utmost completion, " Jesus, who was made a 
little lower than the angels for the suffering 
of death, is crowned with glory," is gone into 
heaven, and is on the right hand of God ; 
angels, authorities, and powers being made 
subject unto Him. " For by Him were all 
things created, that are in heaven, and that 
are in earth, visible and invisible, whether 
they be thrones, or dominions, or principali- 
ties, or powers: all things were created by 
Him and for Him." When God " raised Him 
from the dead," He " set Him at His own right 
hand in the heavenly places, far above all 
principality, and power, and might, and 
dominion, and every name that is named, 
not only in this world, but also in that which 
is to come : and hath put all things under 
His feet, and gave Him to be head over all 



The Mediatorial King. 313 

things to the church, which is His body, the 
fulness of Him that filleth all in all." " For 
He must reign, till He hath put all enemies 
under His feet." 

This world, be it remembered, grand as it 
may seem to us, is hardly a speck in the vast, 
and to us limitless, material universe. And 
all the inhabitants, from the beginning to the 
end, are scarcely an item in the inventory 
of the countless myriads of intelligent and 
accountable beings whom God has created. 
Yet every intelligent being in the universe 
has a personal and eternal interest in the 
manifestations of Divine justice and mercy 
which are here being displayed. The re- 
demptive scheme, by which the guilty are 
pardoned, the rebellious made loyal, and 
the polluted purified, is the wonder of heaven. 
"The angels desire to look into" it. God 
has revealed the ulterior purposes of the 
atonement as affecting personally all the 
pure spirits around His throne. " For it 
pleased the Father that in Him should all 
fulness dwell : and, having made peace 
through the blood of His cross, by Him to 
reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, 



314 Jesus of Nazareth. 

I say, whether they be things in earth, or 
things in heaven. " J " That He might gather 
together in one all things in Christ, both 
which are in heaven, and which are on 
earth." " God, who created all things by 
Jesus Christ, to the intent that now unto the 
principalities and powers in heavenly places 
might be known by the church the manifold 
wisdom of God, according to the eternal 
purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus 
our Lord." 2 

The purpose was eternal : " The Lamb 
slain from the foundation of the world." 3 
By means of the church gathered out of 
this sinful world, and purged from sin by 
the blood of Christ, God purposed to make 
known "His manifold," multifarious, greatly 
diversified "wisdom" to the principalities 
and powers in heavenly places. Why make 
this manifestation ? Certainly not for His 
own gratification, but for their instruction, 
that they may perfectly understand the true 
nature of sin, and that their confidence in 
the rectitude and benevolence of His govern- 
ment might be confirmed with unwavering 

1 Col. i. 19, 20. 2 Ephes. iii. 9-1 1. 3 Rev. xiii. 8. 



The Mediatorial King. 315 

trust. For here, in this world, as nowhere 
else, is the true and unalterable nature of 
sin demonstrated. And here, as nowhere 
else, is seen that wonder of all wonders, how 
God can be just, and the Justifier of the 
ungodly, through the atonement of His Son. 
When the angels rebelled, the holy ones 
saw the meanness, the baseness, and evil 
of sin. When they were immediately cast 
out of heaven, the loyal ones saw the deep 
abhorrence of sin by God. But they could 
not then know its virulent and relentless 
malignity. They could not then know what 
might be the effect of forbearance on the 
part of God. Who could then tell that 
the rebellious would not repent if a solitary 
ray of hope had lighted up their intense 
darkness and despair ? All these and many 
other things are settled, and settled for ever, 
by the demonstrations made upon this earth. 
God has shown the holy ones that He was 
not cruel when He hurled the devil and his 
angels into their prison. He means to 
establish for ever the true nature of sin, by 
demonstrating, through ages of its diversified 
treatment, that it takes advantage of the 



316 Jesus of Nazareth. 

patience, the forbearance, the love, the mercy 
of God, to go on to deeper depths of ma- 
lignity and hatred. All this lies open to 
the view of the heavenly principalities and 
powers. They can have no misgivings as 
to the malignant nature of sin, nor as to 
the degraded and viciously selfish character 
it always involves, and of the inevitable 
misery it produces. They must see and 
understand, and with adoring wonder ac- 
knowledge, the manifold wisdom and benevo- 
lence of God in His treatment and final 
disposition of the incorrigibly wicked. 

When the grand consummation shall come, 
and the redeemed from all time are gathered 
to the realms of the blessed, then it will be 
found that " where sin abounded, grace did 
much more abound. " Counting all who 
have died in infancy, whose salvation, as 
I judge, is secured by the atonement and 
the Holy Spirit, and including the converts 
through the long ages of the millennium, 
when the whole world will be densely popu- 
lated, I am confident it will be found that 
the overwhelming mass of human souls will 
have been saved from the penalty and power 



The Mediatorial King. 317 

of sin by faith in "the blood of the Lamb." 
The pledge of reward to Christ was, "He 
shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall 
be satisfied; " x and the record of history is, 
that He " for the joy that was set before Him 
endured the cross, despising the shame." 2 
" For this purpose the Son of God was 
manifested, that He might destroy the works 
of the devil." 3 If, as some would estimate 
from the present and past history of this 
world, it should appear that only a small 
minority are saved, there would be a per- 
petual jubilee in hell, that Satan had 
thwarted the Son of God and gained the 
victory. If it should be found that Christ 
had secured the salvation of only one-half 
the human family, Satan would call it a 
drawn game, and rejoice over his spoils. In 
either of these cases could the benevolent 
heart of the Redeemer be "satisfied ? " Could 
it then be said that He had fulfilled His 
mission to "destroy the works of the devil?" 
But when it shall come out, clear, distinct, 
and unquestionable, that the number of 
the persistently impenitent and incorrigibly 

1 Isa. liii. 11. 2 Heb. xii. 2. 3 1 John iii. 8. 



318 Jesus of Nazareth. 

wicked, though great, is so comparatively 
small as only to illustrate the malignant 
character of sin and the necessity of punish- 
ment ; — when the great multitude, which no 
man can number, of all nations, and kindreds, 
and people, and tongues, shall stand before the 
throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with 
white robes, and palms in their hands, crying 
with a loud voice, Salvation to our God, 
which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the 
Lamb; " Salvation, and glory, and honour, 
and power, unto the Lord our God: for true 
and righteous are His judgments ; " — when 
the voice of many angels round about the 
throne, and the living creatures and the elders, 
the number of them being ten thousand times 
ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, 
cry with a loud voice, as they shout the 
victory, " Worthy is the Lamb that was 
slain to receive power, and riches, and wis- 
dom, and strength, and honour, and glory, 
and blessing ;" " Blessing, and glory, and 
wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and 
power, and might, be unto our God for ever 
and ever ; " — when the redeemed swell again 
the grateful song, " For Thou wast slain, and 



The Mediatorial King. 319 

hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of 
every kindred, and tongue, and people, and 
nation;" — and when the triumphal chorus of 
" every creature which is in heaven, and on 
the earth, and under the earth, and such as 
are in the sea, and all that are in them," cry, 
"Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, 
be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and 
unto the Lamb for ever and ever : " — then 
will the Redeemer say, I am satisfied. I 
have put all enemies under My feet. I have 
destroyed the works of the devil. I have 
utterly and for ever crushed out his king- 
dom. I have shut him and his followers in 
their own appropriate place, the prison-house 
of despair. I have gathered out of that 
world, ruined by sin, a multitude so vast 
that no man can number them. I have con- 
firmed in holiness all the principalities and 
powers in the heavenly places, so that in all 
the ages there shall never again be a falling 
away. I have conquered death, the fruit of 
sin, and abolished it, and there shall be no 
more dying. I have restored peace and har- 
mony in all the holy empire of God, so that 
through all eternity there shall be joy, and 



320 Jesus of Nazareth. 

gladness, and praise. I am satisfied. The 
reward is greater than was the deep anguish 
of the travail of My soul. Then will He say 
to His redeemed, " Come, ye blessed of My 
Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for 
you from the foundation of the world." 
Enter into your rest ; the victory over sin 
and death is complete and eternal. " Receive 
the end of your faith, the salvation of your 
souls" — " an inheritance incorruptible, and 
undefiled, and that fadeth not away." 

Reader, two vital questions force them- 
selves to the front. 

" What think ye of Christ ? Whose Son 
is He?" You reply, The Son of God, the 
Divine Redeemer. In this you say truly. 
What will you do with Christ ? is the second 
great question. He is now offered to you, 
and you must decide. Will you receive and 
serve Him as your loved Lord and Saviour? 
Will you have Him as your eternal, unchange- 
able Friend ? Or will you by neglect reject 
Him, and have Him for your judge and 
condemner? What will you do with 
Jesus of Nazareth ? 



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